EUGENE  WALTER 

JOHN  w,  "HARDING 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


'NOW  YOU'RE  TALKING,  MY  LASS,  AND  I'LL  TALK  RIGHT  BACK  TO  YOU." 

Frontispiece.    Page  193. 


PAID  IN  FULL 

BT 

EUGENE  WALTER. 


JOHN  W.  HARDING 


•  What  happiness  is  there  which  is  not  purchased  with  more  or  less  pain  1 


Illustrations  from  Scenes  in  the  Play. 

G.  W.   DILLINGHAM  .COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1908,  BT 
O.   W.   DILLINGHA.M    COMPANY 


*An>  Iv  Pin*  Issued  Mar,  1906 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE. 

I  .........  -  ........  -  ......  ••  —  •  7. 

II  ........  ........  ....  ......  ,..,..._  17 

III  ________  ..............  .^.........w  28 

IV......  ........  ......  ..^..  ......  i  44 

V........  ...............  ....  --------  5? 

VI  ........  :.;.....  ......  _____________  .....  71 

VII  .............  ...  .............  ...  84 

VIII  ......  .....:._-.,  .............  ..,.,.,.,  93 

IX  ..............................  ....  I03 

X..  ...............  ;..,  ..........  ...:  124 

XI  .........................  ,.:  .......  133 

XII....  ......................  ......  I45 

XIII  ................  .  .;._.;  ........  .  .  .  .,  155 

XIV  .........  ......  .............  ______  167 

XV  ..................  .....  .:.,.>  .  .  .,.  .,  177 

XVI.  .  ........  .  .  .  .  _________  .........  .,  203 

XVII...  ...  .  .  .:.,.,  ________  >  .  .  ...........  .  .:  211 

XVIII  ............  .  .  __________  ..........  228 

XIX  ..............  ....  ..........  ....  239 

XX  ....................  >r.:.  .  ___________  249 

XXI  ............  ..........  ..........  262 

XXII..  .  .  .  ...  .....  ,,..  ............  ......  285 

XXIII.  .  .  ........  .  .  .  .  .  .....  ,  .  .s.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .,  298 

XXIV.  ....  .  ...  .:.^  ......  .  .......  .....  .;  3U 

XXV  ________  .  .  .  ...............  ,  .  ......  319 

XXVI.,  ...  .........  .  .  ...  .............  ,  .,  326 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page. 

**  Now  you're  talking,  my  lass,  and  I'll  talk  right  back 

to  you." 193 

Frontispiece. 

"  I  could  take  it  all,  and  then  not  be  caught."    ....    51 

"  Mother,  dear,  please  don't  find  fault." 109 

"  Joe,  Joe,  this  ain't  no  time  to  fourflush  with  me."    .    .  120 
"  You  are  a  good  man,  Jimsy — a  good  man."    ....  131 

"  If  I  had  a  girl  like  you  I'd  earn  enough  money  to  make 

her    happy — eh,    Brooks  ?  " 140 

"  Please    don't,   Joe !  " 214 


From  scenes  in   Wagenhals  and  Kemper  Co.'s  New  York 
Astor  Theatre  production  of  "  Paid  in  Full." 


PAID  IN  FULL 

CHAPTER  I 

NO,  I'll  not  give  'em  a  raise  of  three  cents  an 
hour,  nor  of  one  cent  an  hour;  nary  a 
raise,  understand  ?    And  I  don't  want  you 
to  come  here  thinking  you  can  bulldoze  me,  be 
cause  you'll  find  mighty  quick  you're  mistaken. 
If  any  man  thinks  he  can  do  that  I  want  to  see 
him." 

The  words,  uttered  in  a  wrathful  bellow,  came 
through  the  closed  door  of  the  president's  room 
and  were  heard  by  every  employe  and  visitor  in 
the  main  office  of  the  Latin-American  Steamship 
Company,  which  occupied  an  entire  floor  of  a  big 
building  in  Bowling  Green,  New  York  City.  The 
score  of  clerks  busy  at  their  desks  and  counters 
in  the  railed  off  enclosure  and  the  cashier  and 
bookkeepers  behind  the  brass  latticed  guards  of 
the  windows  of  their  boxes  looked  up,  and 
the  customers  and  others  whom  business  had 

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brought  to  the  place  gazed  with  curious  aston 
ishment  in  the  direction  of  the  voice. 

Some  of  the  employes  smiled  and  passed  the 
remark  that  the  boss  "had  'em  bad"  that  day; 
but  the  smiles  were  of  the  sickly,  apprehensive 
order,  ready  to  straighten  out  into  solemnity  on 
the  instant,  and  the  remark  was  entirely  superflu 
ous,  for  the  fact  that  he  was  in  execrable  humor 
was  perfectly  well  known  to  each  and  all,  having 
been  impressed  upon  them  very  forcibly  at  inter 
vals  from  the  minute  the  great  man  had  made  his 
appearance  with  his  unvarying  punctuality  as  the 
clock,  regulated  by  United  States  Observatory 
time,  struck  9  A.  M.  Others  scowled  and  kept 
their  reflections  to  themselves. 

The  voices  of  the  other  parties  to  the  conversa 
tion  were  not  audible  to  the  listeners,  but  that  of 
the  president,  with  its  all-penetrating  roar,  burst 
forth  again : 

"  I  don't  give  a  tin  whistle  what  you  or  your 
unions  do,  understand  ?  Let  'em  strike ;  strike  and 
be  damned;  but  you  tell  'em  this  from  me,  that 
any  man  who's  fool  enough  to  throw  up  his  job 
does  so  for  good  and  all.  He'll  never  work  again 
for  the  Latin-American  Steamship  Company  in 

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this  or  any  other  port.  I'll  take  care  of  that.  I'll 
show  'em  who  and  what  I  am,  if  they  don't  know." 

The  door  opened  and  two  white-faced,  intim 
idated  men  emerged,  cap  in  hand.  They  were 
rough-looking  men,  evidently  laborers  inured  to 
the  hardest  kind  of  work.  They  shuffled  quickly 
past  the  neatly  dressed  clerks,  made  their  way 
out  of  the  uncongenial  precincts  of  the  offices  and 
did  not  breathe  freely  until  the  elevator  had 
landed  them  on  the  ground  floor  and  they  found 
themselves  in  the  cross  streams  of  hurrying 
passers-by  on  the  street.  There,  as  they  mopped 
their  brows  and  looked  around  for  a  saloon, 
something  of  the  arrogant  insolence  with  which 
they  had  demanded  audience  of  the  head  of  the 
company,  and  which  had  been  speedily  cowed  out 
of  them  by  that  formidable  and  choleric  person 
age,  returned  to  them. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  open  door  of  the  room  in 
which  they  had  been  through  the  ordeal  of  their 
interview,  Capt.  Amos  Williams,  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  line,  glared  after  his  de 
parting  visitors  and  round  the  office  as  though  in 
challenge  to  anyone  else  who  might  be  there  for 
the  purpose  of  confronting  him.  There  was  dead 

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silence,  and  every  employe,  from  the  highest  to 
the  office  boys,  impudent  and  irrepressible  there, 
as  everywhere  else,  save  when  Capt.  Williams 
was  nigh,  became  deeply  engrossed  in  his  work. 
It  was  plain  that  the  president  was  feared  by  his 
entire  staff. 

"  Call  up  Mr.  Smith  and  tell  him  I  want  to  see 
him  at  once,"  he  growled  to  no  one  in  particular, 
hien  he  re-entered  his  room  and  slammed  the 
door. 

In  a  few  minutes,  however,  his  bell  rang  and  a 
boy  responded  to  it  with  an  alacrity  not  custom 
ary  in  any  other  office  in  all  New  York. 

"  Tell  Mr.  Brooks  to  come  here,"  was  the  or 
der  he  received. 

The  boy  hurried  out  and  approached  one  of 
the  men  behind  the  brass  lattice  screens. 

"  Mr.  Brooks,  the  Captain  wants  you,"  he 
announced. 

Mr.  Brooks  did  not  reply,  but  he  got  down 
leisurely  and  with  bad  grace  from  his  stool  and 
moved  with  equal  deliberation  to  the  president's 
room. 

"  Brooks,  has  Fernandez  &  Co.,  that  Pernam- 
buco  firm,  been  heard  from  yet?"  demanded  his 

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employer,  without  looking  up  from  the  papers  he 
was  turning  over  on  his  desk. 

"  Check  came  to-day,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"Full  amount?" 

"  Yes,  four  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  sev 
enty-five." 

"All  right;  that's  all." 

Brooks  went  out,  closing  the  door  behind  him, 
and  returned  to  his  desk.  He  was  in  a  bad  tem 
per  himself  and  made  no  effort  to  conceal  it,  for  a 
sullen  scowl  marred  his  handsome  and  usually 
genial  face.  Not  only  was  Joseph  Brooks  hand 
some,  but  a  rather  distinguished-looking  young 
fellow,  whose  clothes  set  well  and  becomingly 
updn  him,  albeit  they  were  somewhat  shiny  from 
wear  and  from  ironing  by  unexpert  hands  at 
home.  And  if  his  collar  and  cuffs  also  were  just 
a  trifle  the  worse  for  wear,  at  least  they  were 
immaculately  clean,  which  by  disguising,  or 
rather  distracting  attention  from  it,  more  than 
made  up  for  the  shortcoming  of  excessive  use. 

"  Cheer  up ! "  admonished  one  of  his  fellow- 
clerks,  noticing  his  ill-humor.  Brooks's  moods 
were  never  taken  seriously,  for  with  him  fits  of 
despondency  alternated  with  a  contagious  cor- 

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diality  and  an  optimism  that  knew  no  limit.  His 
days  of  cheerfulness  predominated,  and  at  these 
times  his  manner  was  almost  affectionate,  and  he 
was  ever  ready  to  oblige  and  help  others,  with 
the  result  that  he  was  well  liked.  Of  late,  how 
ever,  his  spells  of  gloominess  had  become  weari 
somely  frequent,  and  usually  they  were  accom 
panied  by  a  nervous  irritability. 

"  Cheer  up  ?  "  he  answered  with  some  heat.  "  I 
don't  see  any  reason  for  cheering  up,  and  I  don't 
feel  like  cheering  up.  Did  you  hear  how  the  brute 
received  those  delegates  of  the  Longshoremen's 
Union  because  they  asked  him  to  add  a  little  to 
their  starvation  pay  to  help  them  keep  skin  and 
bone  together?  Why  shouldn't  he  raise  them — 
why  shouldn't  he  raise  all  of  us?  He's  rotten 
with  money,  stinking,  reeking  with  it;  doesn't 
know  what  to  do  with  it ;  yet  what  does  he  do  but 
grind  us  down ;  grind  and  grind  and  grind ;  grind 
us  as  a  grain  of  wheat  is  ground  to  powder  b? 
tween  the  millstones,  grind  us  with  his  he€J 
squeezing  from  us  the  very  sap  of  brain  and  life 
that  he  may  add  to  his  pile?  " 

The  clerks  near  him  had  listened  to  this  out 
burst  with  amused  surprise. 

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"Well,"  said  the  man  who  had  addressed  him 
before,  "I  haven't  noticed  you  sweating  blood  to 
any  extent  under  the  grinding  process." 

"  Jenkins,  you're  a — a  camel,"  retorted  Brooks. 
"For  a  whisp  of  hay  you'd  let  yourself  be  loaded 
till  the  last  straw  broke  your  back  and  then  you'd 
lick  the  hand  that  crushed  you." 

"Sure,"  said  Jenkins  enthusiastically.  "Any 
body  can  load  me  up  that  wants  to." 

"  And  I'll  back  his  liquid  capacity  to  equal  that 
of  any  camel,"  chimed  in  another  clerk,  while 
everyone  within  earshot  grinned. 

"  Oh,  you  can  laugh,"  grumbled  Brooks,  "  but 
it  doesn't  alter  the  truth  of  what  I  say.  It's  men 
like  him  that  have  made  our  society  to-day  what 
it  is — a  soulless,  heartless,  oppressive  civilization 
in  which  Croesuses  walk  roughshod  over  the  men 
who  are  down  and  thrust  them  deeper  into  the 
slough  with  one  foot  as  they  climb  higher  and 
higher  to  the  power  that  the  possession  of  incon 
ceivable  wealth  carries  with  it." 

"  'Twas  ever  thus !"  sighed  Jenkins.  "  But 
there  is  yet  hope.  Our  Joseph  hath  received  a 
call  to  uplift  the  downtrod." 

"How  did  he  get  it?  What  is  his  record?" 
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went  on  Brooks,  ignoring-  the  interruption. 
"  Why,  he  started  out  as  a  sealer  or  a  South  Pa 
cific  trader,  which  in  those  days  was  the  same  as 
being  a  pirate,  and  you  know  and  I  know  that  his 
name  was  a  terror  to  sailormen  from  San  Fran 
cisco  to  Australia.  He  made  his  first  money  by 
bullying  and  ill  treating  other  men,  and  killing 
them,  too,  on  occasion.  It's  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge.  And  he's  been  a  buccaneer  ever  since. 
Didn't  he  bunco  and  sandbag  my  father-in-law 
out  of  control  of  this  company?  And  what  has 
he  done  since  then  but  act  the  brutal  tyrant  over 
everybody  connected  with  it,  beating  us  down  to 
the  lowest  wage  a  man  can  exist  on  that  he  may 
add  to  his  dirty  heap,  running  this  office  with  fist, 
boot  and  rope-end  as  though  it  were  his  lawless 
ship  and  we  were  his  groveling  Lascar  crew.  I 
hope  the  longshoremen  do  strike!  I  hope  they 
will  make  such  a  hole  in  the  floor  under  his  heap 
that  he  will  be  forced  to  go  whining  to  them  for 
mercy.  They  would  be  doing  humanity  a  service 
if  they'd  fill  him  full  of  bullets." 

"  There's  a  lot  of  truth  in  what  Brooks  says," 
assented  a  youthful  clerk  in  low  tones,  looking 
around  cautiously  as  he  did  so. 

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"Well,  after  all,  I  don't  see  that  you've  got 
such  a  fierce  kick  coming,"  observed  Jenkins  to 
the  disgruntled  orator. 

"You  don't,  eh?"  sneered  Brooks.  "You 
think  twenty  dollars  a  week  is  big  pay  for  an  ac 
countant  and  collector  who's  handled  half  the 
money  of  the  line  for  five  years,  eh  ?  " 

"  No,  I  mean  that  you  are  at  least  solid  with 
the  boss  and  sure  of  your  job,  which  is  more  than 
anybody  else  here  is,  and  that  you  stand  to  be 
come  an  officer  high  up  in  the  company  one  of 
these  days.  Williams  is  a  friend  of  your  family, 
isn't  he?  You  yourself  have  boasted  often  that 
he  visits  you  and  your  wife." 

"  That's  just  it.  The  swine  takes  advantage  of 
his  relations  with  my  wife's  people  to  keep  me 
down  and  rub  it  in.  Other  people  get  their  sal 
ary  raised,  but  I  don't.  Do  you  call  that  a  square 
'deal?" 

"  It  hardly  seems  so,  but  perhaps  there's  a  rea 
son.  He  may  have  some  object  that  will  appear 
in  due  course,  and  you'll  go  up  several  numbers 
at  one  swoop.  In  the  meantime,"  continued  Jen 
kins,  lowering  his  voice,  "  I  wouldn't  let  on  like 
you  have  this  afternoon,  if  I  were  you,  Joe.  It 

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can't  do  any  good  and  might  do  you  a  deal  of 
harm.  You  don't  know  who  might  hear  you,  and 
the  boss  somehow  knows  everything  that  goes  on 
in  the  office." 

"  I  don't  care,"  affirmed  Brooks,  sulkily,  "  I'd 
just  as  lief  tell  him  to  his  face  what  I  think  of 
him,  and,  by  gum,  I  will  one  of  these  days,  darn 
him ! " 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Jenkins.  "  I  hope  I'll  be 
around  at  the  time,  so  that  I  can  perform  for  you 
the  last  sad  rite  of  gathering  up  your  scattered 
remains.  Ah,  here's  Jimsy  Smith ! " 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  II 

JAMES  SMITH,  superintendent  of  the  Latin- 
American  Steamship  Company's  docks,  had 
arrived  in  response  to  the  president's  sum 
mons,  conveyed  to  him  by  the  telephone.  Smith, 
known  to  his  familiars  as  Jimsy,  and  so  called 
when  referred  to  among  themselves  by  all  the 
men  employed  on  the  docks  of  the  line  in  every 
port  where  they  were  situated,  was  a  tall,  gaunt, 
angular  man,  bearing  all  over  him  the  stamp  of 
Westerner.  He  was,  in  fact,  from  Colorado, 
where  he  began  his  active  career  by  engaging  in 
mining.  Scant  success  attended  his  efforts  in 
this  direction,  however,  and  after  working  with 
the  dogged  determination  that  was  one  of  his 
traits,  until  even  his  patience  was  exhausted,  he 
moved  East,  drifted  down  to  South  America,  and 
finally  entered  the  employ  of  the  steamship  com 
pany  in  whose  service  he  had  risen  to  his  present 
position,  with  headquarters  in  New  York. 

There  was  something  about  Smith  that  caused 
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men,  and  women  also,  for  that  matter,  to  take  to 
him  on  sight.  The  unbounded  good  nature,  big- 
heartedness  and  unselfishness  beaming  in  his  blue 
eyes  and  in  his  whimsical  smile,  were  written  in 
every  line  of  his  clean-shaven  face.  And  these 
made  up  in  ample  measure  for  any  deficiency  in 
the  matter  of  comeliness  of  feature  due  to  nature's 
oversight.  Another  thing  that  made  him  remarked 
by  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him  was  his  ab 
solute  imperturbability.  In  all  his  thirty-seven 
years  of  existence  he  never  had  been  known  to 
"get  a  move  on,"  not  even  when  a  premature 
blast  in  a  mine  had  sent  the  diggers  helter-skelter 
for  safety  and  carried  death  and  suffering  to 
many.  Smith  had  walked  tranquilly  away  amid 
the  rain  of  rock  and  earth,  until  it  was  all  over. 
Then  he  had  returned  and  organized  the  work  of 
rescue,  his  placidity  causing  the  others  in 
stinctively  to  look  to  him  for  direction.  Nor  was 
his  speech  more  hurried  than  were  his  move 
ments.  He  spoke  but  little,  and  then  his  words 
came  in  a  quiet,  even,  distinct  drawl.  But  he 
"got  there"  as  quickly  as  most  men,  and  a  good 
deal  quicker  than  some  whose  nerves  were  highly 
strung  and  with  whom  rapidity  of  action  was  as 

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necessary  as  breathing;  for  he  was  possessed  of 
keen  powers  of  observation  and  common  sense, 
an  earnestness  of  purpose  that  gave  his  utter 
ances  weight,  and  an  integrity  as  unshakable  as 
the  rock  of  Gibraltar.  As  a  fitting,  almost  neces 
sary,  complement  of  such  a  nature  he  was  en 
dowed  with  a  sense  of  humor  that  added  not  a 
little  to  the  attraction  he  exercised  for  those  who 
knew  him  sufficiently  well  to  be  able  to  appreciate 
his  qualities  of  heart  and  mind. 

He  took  a  calm,  all-embracing  survey  of  the 
office  as  he  entered,  looked  over  to  Brooks's  desk 
and  saluted  him  with  a  cordial  motion  of  the  hand 
and  instructed  a  boy  to  notify  Capt.  Williams  of 
his  arrival.  He  was  ushered  immediately  into 
the  chief's  presence. 

That  worthy,  who,  like  his  superintendent,  was 
clean  shaven,  was  seated  at  his  desk  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  and  the  whole  room,  despite  the  wide- 
open  windows,  was  thick  from  the  smoke  from  an 
old  blackened  corncob  pipe  at  which  he  was  puf 
fing  vigorously.  He  was  a  burly  man,  amd  the 
short,  thick  neck,  the  broad  shoulders,  the  power 
ful,  big-jointed  fingers  and  the  muscles  that 
stood  out  in  bunches  on  the  hairy  arms  disclosed 

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by  his  rolled-up  shirt  sleeves,  denoted  that  he 
possessed  unusual  physical  strength.  An  ugly 
man  to  get  into  an  argument  with  was  Williams, 
one  who,  it  needed  no  mind  reader  to  judge, 
would  be  capable  of  following  the  word  with  a 
olow  that  would  crush  an  ordinary  opponent.  For 
years,  as  Brooks  had  intimated,  he  had  led  the 
roughest  life  a  man  can  lead,  hammering  by  sheer 
brute  strength  a  way  to  wealth  by  ways  in  which 
scruple  had  counted  for  nothing  at  all  and  ex 
pediency  for  a  good  deal ;  and  his  entrance  upon 
a  higher  plane  of  civilization  had  not  imparted 
much  polish  to  his  appearance,  habits  or  speech, 
which  were  those  o.f  the  old-time  sailing  ship 
mariner,  although  of  late  years  he  had  striven  to 
conform  more  closely  to  the  examples  of  refine 
ment  he  witnessed  in  the  only  polite  society  he 
cared  for,  which  was  that  of  the  family  of  his  dead 
friend,  Stanley  Harris,  who  was  general  manager 
of  the  Latin-American  line  when  he  obtained  con 
trol  of  it.  He  had  a  way  of  glaring  at  a  person 
from  under  his  bushy  eyebrows  with  a  scrutiny 
that  seemed  to  read  through  and  up  and  down 
him,  and  made  him  most  ill  at  ease  under  it.  Few 
men,  whatever  their  importance  in  the  business 

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world,  cared  to  prolong  an  interview  with  him 
when  he  himself  had  no  interest  in  prolonging  it. 
He  made  his  decisions  promptly,  authoritatively, 
after  the  manner  of  a  man  accustomed  to  com 
mand  and  to  be  obeyed  without  question,  and  he 
never  changed  them,  at  least  in  his  business  and 
administrative  dealings.  Add  to  all  this  a  voice 
like  a  foghorn,  the  effect  of  which,  when  he  raised 
it,  was,  as  he  knew  full  well,  to  make  his  subor 
dinates  quake  and  to  intimidate  others  who  had 
to  do  with  him,  and  it  will  be  realized  that  he 
lived  up  fully  to  his  reputation  of  being  a  hard 
man. 

For  his  quiet,  unmovable  and  thoroughly  ca 
pable  dock  superintendent  he  entertained  a  cer 
tain  respect.  He  knew  from  experience  that  the 
man  was  not  the  least  bit  afraid  or  even  disturbed 
by  his  bullying  manner  and  his  bellowing,  and  that 
his  glare,  always  squarely  met,  had  no  more  ef 
fect  upon  him  than  it  would  have  upon  the  bronze 
statue  of  Washington  which  stands  sentinel  on 
the  steps  of  the  Sub-Treasury  in  Wall  Street. 

Smith  lowered  himself  slowly  and  easily  into  a 
big  arm-chair  beside  the  president's  desk,  pulled 
an  extension  out  of  the  latter,  upon  which  he  de- 

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posited  his  soft  felt  hat,  and  waited  for  his  em 
ployer  to  speak. 

"  Two  delegates  from  the  Longshoremen's 
Union  were  here  just  now,"  announced  the  Cap 
tain,  turning  to  him  when  he  was  ready.  "  They 
say  the  freight  handlers  are  going  to  strike." 

"  Ya-as  ?  "  said  Smith,  interrogatively. 

"Yes;  what  d'you  know  about  it?" 

"  Nothing,  except  that  they  came  to  me  with  a 
demand  for  higher  pay  for  the  men.  I  referred 
them  to  you." 

"Well,  I  didn't  leave  'em  any  loophole  for 
doubt  as  to  my  position  in  the  matter." 

"You  turned  them  down?" 

The  Captain's  bushy  eyebrows  came  together 
in  a  frown  and  his  little  eyes  lighted  up  menac 
ingly. 

"Turned  'em  down!  Of  course;  what  d'you 
think?  Suppose  I  handed  'em  a  raise  on  a  silver 
platter  and  bowed  'em  out  of  the  door?" 

"  I  don't  suppose  anything  about  it.  I'm  ask 
ing  for  information." 

"  Them  two  blatherskites  came  swaggering  and 
blustering  in  here  and  said  every  last  one  of  the 
men  would  quit  to-morrow  morning  at  1 1  o'clock 

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unless  they  got  three  cents  more  an  hour.  They 
wasn't  swaggering  when  they  went  out  of  here,  I 
tell  you.  I  pretty  soon  took  the  starch  out  of 
'em." 

A  faint  smile  flitted  over  the  superintendent's 
face,  but  he  ventured  no  remark. 

"I  told  'em,"  Williams  went  on  "that  I 
wouldn't  give  'em  a  cent  a  century  more,  and  to 
strike  and  be  damned.  I  also  told  'em  that  any 
man  who  did  go  out  would  never  get  another  job 
with  this  company,  and,  by  Sam,  he  won't !  " 

The  captain's  voice  had  risen  to  a  roar,  and  he 
brought  his  fist  down  on  the  desk  with  such  force 
that  pens  and  pencils  went  flying  in  all  directions 
and  the  ink  splashed  from  the  wells  in  their  solid 
crystal  stand. 

"Them  labor  agitators  ain't  got  no  notion  of 
the  fitness  of  things.  They  ain't  got  a  grasp  on 
economic  conditions  for  a  cent.  They  got  to  do 
something  to  live  without  working,  so  every  once 
in  a  while  they  go  to  the  men  as  pays  'em  to 
be  walking  delegates,  gives  'em  some  glib  talk 
about  their  rights  and  advises  'em  to  strike  for 
more  money.  Do  they  look  around  and  try  to 
find  out  whether  an  advance  is  warranted  by  the 

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conditions?  Nary  a  look.  Do  any  of  the  men 
they  hand  out  their  advice  to  try  to  find  out?  Not 
on  your  life !  They  go  ahead  like  a  lot  of  sheep, 
and  strike  and  starve,  and  blame  the  result  on 
capital." 

Smith  nodded. 

"  If  they  carry  out  their  threat  and  quit,"  con 
tinued  the  Captain,  "  you  will  clear  all  the  strikers 
from  the  docks,  throw  'em  off  if  necessary,  knock 
their  silly  blocks  off,  but  tell  them  as  wants  to 
work  that  full  protection  will  be  given.  I'll 
arrange  with  Police  Headquarters  to  have  a 
sufficient  force  of  bluecoats  on  hand  to  guard  our 
property,  and  will  also  notify  our  docks  at  other 
ports  to  be  prepared.  You  will  fix  up  accommo 
dation  for  the  strike-breakers  in  the  sheds  here 
until  the  trouble  is  over,  and  make  arrangements 
to  bring  men  from  the  inland  cities.  In  this  mat 
ter  you  need  spare  no  expense.  Understand?" 

"  I  guess  so,"  replied  the  superintendent. 

"Then  it's  up  to  you." 

"  Anything  else  you  want  to  see  me  about  ?  " 

"  Not  now.  You  can  get  in  touch  with  me 
any  time  you  want  me.  You  know  about  where 
I'm  to  be  found." 

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Smith  drew  in  his  long  legs,  raised  himself 
from  the  chair  and  took  up  his  hat  to  go. 

"  See  here,  Smith,"  said  the  Captain,  with  some 
feeling  and  rising  choler,  his  voice  rising  gradu 
ally  also  to  its  fearsome  bellow,  "  it's  nigh  onto 
two  score  year  since  I  took  my  first  vessel,  the 
Sally  Moran,  out  of  'Frisco  as  master  and  owner, 
bound  for  the  South  Sea  Islands  to  trade,  and 
I've  commanded  my  own  ship  every  minute  since, 
and  held  my  own  against  all  sorts  of  lubbers  as 
would  have  done  me,  and  done  for  me,  if  they 
could.  And  do  you  think  I'm  going  to  be  dic 
tated  to  by  any  white-livered  gasbag  of  a  crawling 
delegate  who  comes  here  holding  a  knife  to  my 
throat  by  threatening  a  turn-out  without  giving 
me  a  chance  to  meet  it  if  I  don't  give  in  to  his 
demands  on  the  spot?  No,  sir,  not  by  an  all- 
fired  sight.  No,  sir,  not  in  a  thousand  years! 
I  own  this  outfit  from  keel  to  main  peak,  and  if 
I  can't  run  it  my  own  way  I'll  scuttle  it  and  go 
down  with  it.  Understand?  And  if  any  man's 
looking  for  a  fight  with  me,  he'll  find  me  quick 
enough  and  I'll  break  him,  no  matter  who  or 
what  he  is.  Yes,  sir,  by  Sam,  sir,  like  this." 

Seizing  a  thick  ruler  on  the  desk,  he  snapped 
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it  without  apparent  effort,  and  as  he  sat  glaring 
there  with  his  dishevelled  hair,  his  pugnacious, 
massive  underjaw  protruding  and  his  big  fists 
tightly  clenched  on  the  broken  wood,  causing 
the  muscles  of  his  arms  to  bulge  like  knots  on  a 
gnarled  tree,  he  presented  the  embodiment  of 
might  and  ferocity. 

"  I  don't  know  but  what  you're  right,  Cap'n 
Williams,"  drawled  the  superintendent  with  his 
unchangeable  equanimity.  "  Anyhow  you  sure 
are  entitled  to  do  what  you  like  with  your  own." 

He  went  out,  and  on  his  way  to  the  office  exit 
stopped  at  Brooks's  desk. 

"Well,  how's  things,  boy?"  he  inquired,  with 
an  interest  so  kindly  that  one  might  have  thought 
there  was  nothing  else  in  the  world  with  which 
his  mind  was  occupied,  and  never  could  have  sus 
pected  that  there  lay  before  him  for  immediate 
solution  the  problem  of  preparing  for  a  great 
strike  that  threatened  to  tie  up  the  business  of 
one  of  the  most  important  steamship  lines  in  the 
country,  with  ramifications  extending  from  Bos 
ton  all  around  the  coast  of  South  America  to  San 
Francisco. 

"  Oh,  so,  so,"  answered  Brooks.  "  By  the  by, 
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I'd  be  awful  glad  if  you'd  come  up  to  supper  to 
night.  Emma  was  saying  only  this  morning  that 
we  hadn't  seen  anything  of  you  for  a  week." 

"That's  so.  I've  got  to  square  myself  with 
Emma,  though  it  hasn't  been  my  fault  alto 
gether." 

"Then  we'll  expect  you  to  supper?" 

"  I  can't  promise,  because  I've  quite  a  deal  to 
do  between  now  and  this  evening,  but  I'll  come 
if  I  can." 

"  Well,  you  know  the  way." 

"  I  ought  to  by  this  time." 

"  So  long,  Jimsy." 

"  So  long." 

And  Smith  sauntered  out  to  attend  to  one  of 
the  greatest  emergencies  he  had  ever  been  called 
upon  to  meet  in  his  life. 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  III 

HE  was  a  skillful  architect  indeed  who  first 
devised  the  bandbox  apartment  houses 
so  common  now  in  all  parts  of  New 
York,  and  must  have  sat  up  many  nights  working 
out  how  to  extract  the  maximum  of  rent  revenue 
from  the  area  on  which  he  had  to  fit  the  struc 
ture.  The  measure  of  his  success  was  the  great 
revolution  that  ensued  in  the  building  trade  and 
extended  to  the  furniture  industry.  Doll's  house 
ameublements  had  to  be  constructed  to  meet  the 
diminished  room  space,  and  folding  furniture 
came  into  fashion.  In  this  way  the  New  Yorker 
gradually  accustomed  himself  ten  living  in  a  cup 
board  and  to  holding  himself  int  and  folding  him 
self  up  like  his  bed,  in  order  to  avoid  overturning 
the  chairs  and  table  and  knocking  the  globes  off 
the  gas  or  electric  light  fixtures  suspended  from 
the  ceiling.  In  due  time  beneficent  nature, 
through  the  process  of  evolution  by  which  all 
living  creatures  are  brought  to  adapt  themselves 
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to  their  environment,  will  come  to  his  relief  by 
curtailing  his  stature  to  conform  to  the  exiguous- 
ness  of  his  abode,  and  he  will  have  nothing  to 
envy  the  pigmies  of  Central  Africa.  In  the 
meantime  there  is  naught  for  him  to  do  but  get 
along  the  best  way  he  can,  as  cheerfully  as  he  can, 
which,  it  must  be  confessed,  he  succeeds  in  doing 
pretty  well. 

This  said,  let  it  be  remarked  that  if  there  were 
any  flats  in  Harlem  of  smaller  dimensions  than 
the  one  of  four  rooms  occupied  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Brooks,  the  most  experienced  and 
persistent  hunter  after  a  place  in  which  to 
lodge  his  family  with  relative  economy  and 
some  semblance  of  comfort,  would  have  had 
the  time  of  his  or  her  life  finding  it.  And  if  other 
flats  there  were  more  luxuriously  fitted  up,  as 
easily  might  have  been,  in  fact  certainly  must 
have  been,  the  case,  at  least  there  was  none,  what 
ever  its  size,  that  was  kept  cleaner  or  neater,  or 
in  which  more  effective  use  of  available  material 
had  been  made  than  that  over  which  Mrs.  Emma 
Brooks  presided  as  mistress  and  factotum. 

And  Mrs.  Brooks  herself.  How  she  graced  it ! 
Altogether  unconsciously.  As  the  elder  of  two 

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daughters  of  Stanley  Harris,  who  while  not  rich 
had  been  well  to  do,  she  had  been  brought  up  in 
the  comfort  of  a  good  home  and  had  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  an  education  at  a  private  seminary. 
Her  father,  whose  constant  companion  she  had 
been,  and  whose  sense  of  democracy  in  the  mat 
ter  of  association  she  had  inherited,  had  adored 
her,  and  when  she  had  given  her  heart  to  Joseph 
Brooks,  electing  him  from  among  numerous 
suitors,  including  James  Smith,  he  gave  his  con 
sent  to  their  union,  against  his  own  judgment 
and  in  face  of  the  strenuous  opposition  of  his  wife, 
esteeming  the  girl's  happiness  superior  to  all 
other  considerations. 

Brooks,  who  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
Latin-American  Steamship  Company  for  one 
year  and  had  been  brought  into  relations  with  the 
family  by  virtue  of  his  selection  as  secretary  to 
her  father,  the  general  manager,  had  no  means 
whatever  of  his  own,  and  his  salary,  then  $60  a 
month,  was  a  desperately  small  income  on  which 
to  begin  housekeeping  for  a  girl  reared  as  she 
had  been,  but  her  father  helped  them,  and  the 
young  couple  counted  upon  his  influence  to  pro 
cure  the  advancement  of  his  son-in-law  to  a  more 

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remunerative  post,  and  eventually  to  a  position 
of  importance. 

Unfortunately  for  them,  however,  Mr.  Harris 
had  died  a  few  weeks  after  their  wedding,  and 
they  found  themselves  thrown  upon  their  own  re 
sources.  Mrs.  Harris,  a  selfish,  shallow,  unfeel 
ing  woman  with  social  pretensions,  who  regarded 
her  daughter's  marriage  with  the  young  clerk  as 
a  mesalliance,  and  Brooks  himself  with  disdain, 
left  them  to  shift  for  themselves  and  with  her 
other  daughter  Beth,  who  was  seven  years 
younger  than  Emma  and  shared  her  mother's 
views,  as  she  imitated  her  haughtiness,  settled 
down  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  modest  fortune  her 
husband  had  left  her,  and  the  indulgence  of  the 
ostentation  she  loved,  but  which  during  Mr. 
Harris's  lifetime  she  had  never  been  able  to 
gratify  to  the  top  of  her  bent.  She  did  not  for 
this,  however,  withdraw  altogether  from  associa 
tion  with  Emma  and  Brooks  and  continued  on 
more  or  less  amicable  terms  with  them.  Now 
and  then  she  condescended  to  call  upon  them 
with  Beth,  but  her  visits  as  a  rule  were  a  good 
deal  of  a  trial  to  the  young  couple,  for  she  re 
garded  Brooks's  faiktre  to  get  on  in  the  steam- 

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ship  company  as  a  vindication  of  her  opinion  as 
to  his  ability  and  the  judiciousness  of  their  mar 
riage,  and  was  prone  to  condone  with  her  daugh 
ter,  assume  an  exasperating  I-told-you-so  atti 
tude,  and  lament  what  might  have  been. 

During  the  four  years  of  their  married  life 
Brooks's  salary  had  been  raised  only  $20  a 
month,  although  in  addition  to  his  work  as  ac 
countant,  to  which  he  had  been  assigned  after 
Mr.  Harris's  death,  that  of  collector  had  been 
thrust  upon  him.  It  had  been  a  hard,  bitter 
experience  for  pretty  little  Mrs.  Brooks,  this  un 
accustomed  drudgery  of  housework,  this  con 
tinuous  scouring  of  greasy  pots  and  pans  and 
washing  of  dishes,  which  she  loathed,  this  depri 
vation  of  comforts  and  luxuries  that  she  had 
known  all  her  life,  this  privation  of  many  personal 
things  considered  indispensable  by  the  dainty 
woman,  this  necessity  of  perpetual  rigid  econo 
mizing  which  barely  sufficed  to  make  both  ends 
meet.  She  deprived  herself  of  much  needed 
clothing,  to  say  nothing  of  finery,  that  Joe  might 
go  properly  clad  to  his  office,  but  she  never  for 
that  reason  descended  to  slovenliness,  never  "  let 
herself  go,"  as  so  many  women  in  their  own 


PAID    IN    FULL 

households  make  the  mistake  of  doing-.  Her 
dress  might  be  of  poor  material,  but  it  was  natty, 
neat  and  clean,  and  she  was  always  as  attractive 
as  she  could  make  herself  consistently  with  the 
work  on  hand  when  her  husband  came  home  to 
his  meals.  And  never  had  she  allowed  one  word 
of  complaint,  one  indication  of  regret,  to  escape 
her.  She  had  married  Joe  for  love,  for  better  or 
for  worse,  and  resigned  herself  bravely  and  cheer 
fully  to  the  consequences,  however  hard  to  bear, 
hoping  for  the  better  times  that  were  so  long  in 
corning,  and  encouraging  her  husband  to  fight  on 
and  win. 

Joe  for  his  part  lacked  his  wife's  grit  and 
energy,  and  constant  disappointment  had  under 
mined  his  fortitude.  He  loved  Emma — he  hardly 
could  have  done  otherwise,  though  calculation 
had  entered  largely  into  his  courting  of  her. 
Chivalrously,  while  the  sweet  bliss  of  their  early 
married  life  held  him  in  its  spell,  he  had  done  as 
much  of  the  heavier  work  of  the  menage  as  he 
could,  to  spare  her,  when  time  and  opportunity 
afforded,  but  very  naturally  he  had  soon  tired  of 
this — where  is  the  man  who  does  not? — and  by 
degrees  had  left  as  much  of  it  as  he  could  to  her, 

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except  when  his  moods  of  optimism  and  affec 
tionate  solicitude  impelled  him  to  go  to  her  as 
sistance.  At  such  times  he  wanted  to  do  it  all. 
Usually,  however,  he  responded  reluctantly  when 
called  upon  to  help  in  such  duties  as  there  were 
to  perform  on  Sundays  and  of  evenings,  as  clear 
ing  the  meal  table  and  washing  and  sweeping  up. 
He  never  actually  refused. 

On  the  evening  following  his  outburst  at  the 
office  he  was  still  resentful  and  "  down  hi  the 
mouth  "  when  he  let  himself  into  his  little  flat$ 
and  the  smiles  of  his  wife  as  she  raised  her  rose 
bud  lips  to  receive  his  kiss  of  greeting  failed  to 
dispel  his  gloom. 

"  You  seem  out  of  sorts  to-night,  dear,"  she 
said  solicitously.  "  Anything  go  wrong  at  the 
office?" 

"  Nothing  in  particular.  I'm  tired  and  hungry 
after  slaving  all  day  in  this  awful  heat,  that's  all." 

"  Never  mind,  supper's  all  ready,  so  sit  down 
and  tuck  in." 

"What  did  you  get?" 

"  Chops  and  potatoes." 

Joe  turned  up  his  nose,  but  took  his  seat  at 
table  and  began  to  eat.  He  answered  his  wife's 

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questions  in  monosyllables.  His  thoughts,  it  was 
plain,  were  not  on  his  meal  or  Emma's  conversa 
tion,  and,  seeing  that  he  was  preoccupied  and 
troubled,  she  ceased  to  try  to  engage  his  atten 
tion,  deeming  it  best  to  leave  him  alone  and 
knowing  that  he  would  unbosom  himself  before 
long. 

"  I  paid  the  gas  bill  to-day,"  he  vouchsafed  at 
length.  "  Ninety  cents  more  than  last  month." 

"  Ninety  cents  more !  "  she  commented  with 
concern.  "  I'm  sure  we  didn't  use  half  as  much. 
And  we  owe  the  butcher  four  sixty." 

"  Every  month  it  costs  more  to  live.  I  don't 
know  what  we  are  going  to  do,  I'm  sure." 

"  I'm  sorry,  Joe.  Goodness  knows  I  try  to  be 
as  economical  as  I  can." 

"  I  know,  but  it's  all  wrong.  It's-  all  wrong 
that  you  should  be  spoiling  your  hands  with  those 
beastly  greasy  pans.  They  weren't  meant  for 
such  work.  I  wish  we  could  afford  a  hired  girl." 

"  So  do  I,  but  we  can't,  so  what's  the  use  of 
wishing?" 

"  No,  we  can't,  and  I  don't  see  any  prospect  of 
our  being  able  to." 


PAID    IN    FULL 

A  look  of  anxiety  and  comprehension  came 
into  his  wife's  eyes. 

"  Didn't  you  get  the  raise  you  asked  Captain 
Williams  for?"  she  inquired. 

"  No." 

He  hung  his  head  and  lapsed  into  gloomy 
silence. 

She  dropped  the  morsel  she  was  raising  to  her 
mouth  and  rose  from  the  table,  filled  with  dis 
may,  her  appetite  completely  gone.  Tears  of 
disappointment  followed  the  realization  of  what 
the  failure  of  their  plans  meant,  for  neither 
had  doubted  that  his  request  would  be  complied 
with,  and  she  had  built  many  castles  in  the  air 
on  the  strength  of  it.  A  few  dollars  more  a  week 
added  to  their  distressingly  small  income  would 
have  meant  much  to  them.  But  gazing  at  her, 
husband  sitting  there  utterly  dejected  and 
crushed,  her  heart  went  out  to  him  in  pity  and 
love  and  she  moved  over  to  his  chair  and  put  her 
arm  consolingly  round  his  neck. 

"  Never  mind,  Joe  boy,"  she  urged,  "don't  look 
so  solemn.  We're  no  worse  off  than  we  were 
before,  and  you'll  win  out  some  day." 

She  placed  her  hand  under  his  chin  and  raised 


PAID    IN    FULL 

his  head  to  kiss  him.  He  saw  that  she  was 
smiling  at  him  encouragingly  through  her  tears, 
but  refused  to  be  comforted. 

"  I  made  out  the  payroll  to-day,"  he  said. 
"Three  other  men  in  the  office,  who  also  asked 
for  a  raise  last  month,  got  it — so  did  Smith." 

"What,  Jimsy?"  she  asked. 

"  I  said  Smith — there's  only  one  Smith  in  the 
office,"  he  replied  somewhat  surlily. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  for  Jimsy's  sake  he  got  what 
he  wanted." 

"  I  think  he  told  Williams  to  come  across  with 
more  money  or  he'd  quit." 

"  How  much  did  he  ask  for  ?  " 

"  Eighteen  hundred." 

"Eighteen  hundred?  My  gracious,  isn't  that 
fine?" 

"  It  means  that  he'll  be  getting  nearly  five 
thousand  a  year  now.  Great  for  him,  isn't  it?" 

"  Yes,  indeed  it  is." 

"  I  saw  Jimsy  to-day.  Asked  him  to  come  to 
supper." 

"Ah!" 

"  He  said  he  would  if  he  could." 

"I  wonder  why  he  didn't?" 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

Her  husband  did  not  answer  immediately. 
When  he  did  he  burst  out  savagely : 

"  Suppose  he  thought  we  couldn't  afford  it. 
Two  don't  eat  as  much  as  three." 

"  Why,  Joe,  how  absurd,"  she  laughed,  begin 
ning  to  gather  up  the  supper  plates.  "Jimsy 
knows  it's  pot-luck." 

"That's  the  trouble.  Jimsy  knows — your 
mother  knows  —  Williams  knows  —  everybody 
knows,  and  they're  always  talking  about  it." 

"About  what?" 

"  How  you've  got  to  work  and  slave  because 
you  married  me,  and  all  that  sort  of  stuff." 

"Jimsy  doesn't." 

"  Well,  he  thinks  it,  and  your  mother's  always 
rubbing  it  in,  harping  on  the  same  old  string — 
that  I  ain't  worthy  of  you — that  it's  a  shame  the 
way  you  have  to  work  and  slave — that  I  don't 
seem  to  get  along  at  all,  and  that  you " 

"  Oh,  don't  mind  mother,  you  know  her." 

"  She  never  did  want  us  to  marry." 

"  But  dear  old  dad  did,  and  he  was  the  one  I 

wanted    to    please — after   you,    Joe,    of   course. 

Mother   is  just  a   bit   peculiar.      I'm   sure   she 

doesn't  understand  me  much,  and  I'm  equally 

38 


PAID    IN    FULL 

sure  that  I  don't  understand  her,  so  we  won't 
bother  about  her.  Just  sweep  up  a  bit,  will  you, 
while  I  wash  the  dishes.  Jimsy  may  drop  in  by 
and  by." 

Brooks  went  into  the  kitchen,  donned  an  apron 
from  force  of  habit  instilled  into  him  by  his  wife, 
ever  careful  of  his  clothes,  and  reappeared  with  a 
carpet  broom  and  a  dust  cloth.  He  was  laboring 
under  excitement,  as  was  manifest  by  the  reckless 
manner  in  which  he  used  the  broom.  Several 
times  he  gazed  toward  the  open  door  of  the 
kitchen,  hesitating  to  speak.  Finally,  with  an 
expression  of  determination,  he  said  in  a  firm 
voice : 

"  Emma,  you  know  it  will  be  six  months  or  a 
year  before  I  get  another  chance  at  a  raise — un 
less,  of  course,  I  quit  and  get  a  job  somewhere 
else." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  she  answered,  rather  wearily. 

"  I  can't  quit  and  hunt  for  work,  we  haven't 
saved  enough." 

"  There  hasn't  been  much  chance  to  save." 

"  No,  and  I  was  thinking " 

The  words  came  slowly,  hesitatingly. 

"What?"  she  demanded. 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

"That  perhaps  you're  tired  and  want  to  call 
it  off." 

"Call  what  off?" 

"  Why,  everything — the  whole  business." 

She  advanced  to  the  door  and  eyed  him  curi 
ously,  wonderingly. 

"  I  don't  quite  know  what  you  mean  by  'every 
thing,'  Joe,"  she  told  him. 

He  turned  and  faced  her. 

"  I  mean  our  marriage,"  he  said  desperately. 

Her  eyes  opened  wide  with  incredulous  aston 
ishment. 

"  You  mean  separation  ?  " 

"  That's  exactly  what  I  mean." 

"What  for — because  I'm  tired?" 

"Something  like  that." 

"  What  an  idea !  You  must  have  the  blues 
badly  to  talk  such  nonsense  as  that.  Don't  you 
think  it  would  be  as  well  to  wait  until  I  com 
plain?" 

"  You  have  complained. 

"  No — at  least  I  can't  remember." 

"  Not  in  words,  but " 

"But  what?" 

"  Look  here,"  he  said  impatiently,  "don't  you 
40 


PAID    IN    FULL 

suppose  I  have  eyes  ?  Don't  you  suppose  I  have 
feelings?  I've  seen — I  know." 

"What  have  you  seen?" 

"  That  you're  sick  of  this  drudgery  and  all  the 
rest,  sick  of  it,  and  sorry.  There's  Smith  with 
his  five  thousand — he  wanted  you  first.  You 
could  have " 

She  interrupted  him  sharply,  her  face  flushing. 

"Joe!" 

"  Well,  I  think " 

"  That's  enough  of  that ! " 

"  Oh,  well,"  he  declared  sullenly,  turning  away 
and  dropping  into  a  chair.  "I  didn't  mean " 

She  followed  him  and  placed  her  hand  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  Joe,  I  married  you  because  I  loved  you,"  she 
said  gently,  "and  for  nothing  else  in  the  world. 
There  wasn't  any  influence  except  that,  and  that 
overcame  all  the  rest — mother  and  all  of  them." 

"  I  know  all  about  that." 

"  There  has  been  a  little  hard  luck " 

"There  has  been  a  precious  sight  too  much 
of  it." 

"  I  know  you  hsfven't  been  treated  right,  but 
bad  luck  and  ups  and  downs  are  what  a  woman 


PAID    IN    FULL 

ought  to  expect  when  she  marries;  she  has  to 
take  the  bad  as  well  as  the  good,  and  she  ought  to 
know  enough  to  accept  the  one  as  cheerfully  as 
the  other,  when  the  bad  is  nobody's  fault.  That 
is  what  I  think,  and  that  is  what  I  have  tried  to 
rdo.  But  there  are  some  things " 

Sh2  paused,  reluctant  to  carry  her  thoughts 
further  into  words. 

"What?  You  may  as  well  say  all  you've  got 
to  say  while  you're  about  it,"  he  snapped. 

"  It's  just  this,"  she  went  on.  "Never  refer  to 
Jimsy  in  the  way  you  did.  I  married  you,  Joe. 
Please  try  and  leave  unsaid  things  that  might 
make  me  regret  it." 

He  ventured  no  further  remark  and  lapsed  into 
his  gloomy  reflections.  Emma  went  about  her 
work  for  a  little  while,  glancing  at  him  with  grow 
ing  sympathy  as  she  entered  with  the  crockery 
from  time  to  time.  At  last  she  deposited  on  the 
table  the  burden  of  cups  and  saucers  she  was  car 
rying,  and  going  to  him  put  her  arm  round  his 
neck  and  snuggled  her  face  against  his. 

"  Poor  old  boy,"  she  murmured,  "  that  setback 
we  got  to-day  when  we  had  it  all  fixed  up  was 
enough  to  make  you  feel  sore  and  glum.  Never 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

mind,  cheer  up,  you  know  what  Jimsy  says: 
'Hard  luck  can  give  you  an  awful  battle,  but  if 
you're  on  the  square  you  can  hand  it  a  knock 
out  punch  some  time.' ' 

It  was  of  no  use,  however.  Joe's  sulkiness  had 
sunk  in;  his  temper  was  vicious,  deep  and  in 
growing,  a  temper  such  as  she  had  never  sus 
pected  in  him,  and  all  her  petting,  all  her  loving 
coaxing,  could  not  ween  him  from  it.  She 
pressed  her  cheek  more  closely  to  his  and  fondled 
him,  but  he  jerked  away  from  her  embrace  and 
surlily  sought  another  chair. 

As  he  did  so  the  bell  rang  from  downstairs. 

"  I'll  bet  that's  Jimsy  now,"  he  muttered. 

Much  hurt,  but  disguising  her  feelings,  Emma 
hurried  into  the  kitchen  and  pressed  the  button 
that  opened  the  entrance  door  of  the  house. 


43 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  IV 

THERE  was  a  knock,  the  unlatched  door 
opened  and  James  Smith  walked  in. 
"  Anybody  at  home  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Not  a  solitary  living  soul,"  Emma  assured 
him.  "  Come  in." 

"  Hello,  Joe — you  a  dead  one,  too?  "  he  said. 

"Almost,"  replied  Brooks,  brightening  up  a 
little  in  spite  of  himself  under  the  influence  of  his 
friend's  good  natured  smile  and  the  cheeriness 
that  positively  emanated  from  him.  "  Just  come 
up?" 

"  Yep,  and  I  reckon  in  about  time  to  help," 
he  said,  glancing  at  the  crockery  on  the  table. 

"  Just  in  time,"  assented  Emma,  whose  droop 
ing  spirits  also  began  to  rise  under  the  diversion 
caused  by  his  advent.  "  But  first  explain  what 
you  mean  by  not  coming  to  dinner." 

"  I  couldn't  come,  really.  I  tried  my  best,  but 
I  had  to  attend  to  such  a  lot  of  business  that 
rouldn't  be  put  off  that  I  was  unable  to  get  here 

44 


PAID    IN    FULL 

in  time.  I  hope  you  didn't  wait  long  for  me. 
I'm  awfully  sorry." 

"You  look  it — I  don't  think,"  she  scolded. 
"  Go  on,  get  busy  if  you're  going  to ! " 

"All  right,"  he  answered,  taking  up  a  small 
pile  of  cups  and  saucers  very  gingerly.  "Where 
do  these  go?  If  you  left  it  to  me  like  as  not  I'd 
be  putting  a  sowp  plate  behind  the  door  and  slip 
a  broom  into  the  sideboard." 

"  They  go  right  in  here." 

He  stopped  on  the  way  to  the  sideboard  and 
turned  to  Brooks. 

"  Seen  the  latest  extra,  Joe?  "  he  inquired. 

"Nope.  Anything  new?"  answered  that  un- 
amiable  person. 

"  Nothing  special.  The  Orinoco  wasn't  hardly 
scratched  getting  out  of  Rio  Janeiro." 

"You  don't  say!" 

"  Kind  o'  scraped  over  the  bar.  She'll  only  be 
a  day  late  now." 

"  Do  be  careful  with  those  cups,  Jimsy,"  adj 
monished  Emma.  "  They're  china." 

"Don't  you  suppose  I  know  that?" 

"  I  mean  real  china,"  she  emphasized. 

"All  china  and  Chinamen  look  alike  to  me. 
45 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Here's  the  paper,  Joe.  You'll  find  all  about  the 
Orinoco  on  the  inside  page." 

He  drew  it  from  his  pocket,  and  as  he  did  so 
one  of  the  two  cups  balanced  on  the  saucers 
slipped  off  and  smashed  to  bits  on  the  carpet. 

"  Now,  Jimsy,  you  certainly  are  going  to  get 
it,"  commented  Joe,  rising  and  taking  the  paper 
extended  to  him. 

Smith  looked  appealingly  at  his  hostess. 

"  Jimsy,"  she  chided,  assuming  an  expression 
of  mock  gravity,  "  how  could  you — my  very  best 
Sunday-go-to-meeting  china !  How  could  you ! " 

"  Not  how  could  I — how  did  I  ?  "  he  corrected, 
stooping  and  picking  up  the  pieces.  "  You 
know,  Emma,  I've  had  butter  fingers  ever  since  I 
was  a  little  shaver,  and  I  guess  I  always  will 
have — in  business  and  everything  else." 

"  Why,  how  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I've  been  clumsy  all  my  life,  that's  all. 
Everything  I've  ever  had  in  my  hands  that  was 
worth  much  I've  generally  let  slip  and  fall.  Out 
in  Colorado  when  I  was  a  kid  around  Leadville 
they  used  to  say  that  I  sure  would  turn  out  to  be 
a  sawed-off  and  hammered-down,  good-for-noth 
ing  man.  So  you  see,  the  way  things  have 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

turned  out,  I've  broken  about  even  with  that 
prophesy." 

"  How  broken  even?  " 

"  Taking  their  side  for  the  book,  I  win  the  first 
bet,  and  lose  the  second.  There  ain't  nothin' 
sawed  off  and  hammered  down  about  me,  is 
there?" 

"  I  should  say  not,"  she  said  with  a  merry 
laugh.  "  You've  been  pulled  out  like  a  piece  of 
taffy." 

"  Then  I  win,  but  it  was  in  doubt  quite  some 
time.  Oh,  yes,  quite  some  time." 

"Yes?" 

"  Never  really  did  start  to  grow  until  I  was 
fifteen,  and  then  I  just  eased  out  into  my  present 
altitude.  But  the  second  proposition — that 
good-for-nothing  bet — I  guess  they  win." 

"  Nonsense,  Jimsy ;  how  can  you  say  suc4i  a 
thing;  you're  good  for  a  whole  lot." 

"  Emma,"  he  declared  solemnly,  "  there  have 
been  moments  of  financial  stringency  when  that 
^declaration  seemed  to  be  open  to  doubt." 

"  Jimsy,  you're  an  idiot ! "  she  laughed. 

"  Discovered !  "  he  avowed,  bowing  ceremoni 
ously. 

47 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Brooks,  who  had  been  reading  the  paper, 
•threw  it  down  angrily. 

"  Damn  him !  "  he  growled. 

"  Joe !  "  exclaimed  his  wife  reproachfully. 

"  Damn  who  ?  "  inquired  Smith. 

"Why,  Williams,"  he  replied. 

"  Lots  have  done  that,"  said  the  superinten 
dent.  "But  what's  the  matter  now,  Joe?" 

"  His  luck,"  went  on  Brooks.  "  The  Orinoco 
isn't  scratched.  If  any  one  else  owned  a  ship 
^and  she  got  into  a  muss  like  that  the  chances  are 
one  hundred  to  one  that  she'd  have  foundered — • 
been  a  complete  loss." 

"  That's  right,"  assented  Smith. 

"But  Williams  —  he  don't  lose  her  —  he 
couldn't." 

"  I  should  think  you'd  be  glad,"  remarked 
Emma.  "She's  a  brand  new  ship,  isn't  she?" 

"  No,  I'm  not  glad,"  he  declared  furiously, 
rising  and  walking  about  the  room.  "  I'm  tired 
of  him,  of  his  rotten  old  steamship  line — of  all  of 
it— you  hear?  Of  all  of  it." 

"Joe,  please!"  she  protested.  "You  know 
j " 

"  I  know  you've  slaved  and  bore  with  me  long 
48 


PAID    IN    FULL 

enough !  Here  I  am — 'handling  all  the  money  of 
that  line,  ain't  that  so,  Jimsy?" 

"That's  right,"  admitted  the  latter,  "but 
that's  the  matter?" 

"Matter?  Isn't  it  matter  enough  that  I 
should  do  all  thi?  for  a  mean,  miserable  living? 
I  suffer  and  work,  and  work  and  suffer,  for  that 
nasty,  niggardly  salary  and  this  beast,  this  wild 
animal  of  a  Williams,  keeps  us  all  starving — yes, 
starving ! " 

"Joe,"  remonstrated  Emma,  "you  don't 
mean " 

"  You  know  what  I  mean.  Suppose  there  are 
three  meals  a  day,  and  a  place  to  sleep?  Don't 
I  deserve  something  a  little  better?  Do  you 
know  what  I  could  do?  I  could  steal  thousands 
and  no  one  would  ever  know  it !  " 

"Joe!"  she  ejaculated,  greatly  shocked. 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  going  to  do  it,  but  with  all  this 
responsibility,  when  I  ask  for  money,  I  don't  get 
it — not  a  dollar.  You  do,  Jimsy,  you're  single 
and  you  can  quit.  And  then  Williams — what  does 
he  do  ?  Comes  around  here  to  my  wife  with  my 
mother-in-law — damn  him — and  rubs  it  in." 

Emma  looked  at  him  pleadingly. 

49 


"  Joe,  you  mustn't.  Captain  Williams  means 
well,  but " 

He  turned  upon  her  savagely. 

"That's  it — he  means  well.  He  meant  well 
when  he  was  a  South  Pacific  trader — he  meant 
well  when  he  treated  his  crew  like  dogs — he 
meant  well  when  he'd  kill  a  sailor  with  as  much 
thought  as  a  spider  kills  a  fly — he  meant  well 
when  he  cheated  natives,  murdered  men, 
smuggled  Chinamen  into  this  country,  sunk  ves 
sels  for  insurance — he  meant  well  when  he  came 
East,  bought  the  Latin-American  Company  and 
put  your  father  out  of  business,  and  now,  now 
that  he  has  his  money,  his  millions  maybe,  he 
means  well  when  he  refuses  to  give  his  men  a  fair 
share  of  what  they  produce.  Means  well?  Yes, 
he  does — not! " 

"Joe,  are  you  crazy?"  demanded  his  wife, 
alarmed  and  a  little  angry  at  his  outburst. 
"What  ever  is  the  matter?" 

"Well,  there's  a  whole  lot  of  truth  in  what 
Joe  says,"  put  in  Smith,  conciliatingly.  "  You 
see,  Williams  did  start  out  as  a  captain  of  a 
South  Pacific  trader,  but,  like  most  of  them  fel 
lows,  I  guess  he  stole  a  good  deal  more  than  he 

50 


ll  COULD  TAKE   IT  ALL,  AND  THEN  NOT  SB  0/.-.UGHT. 


Page  51. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

traded.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
strongest  man  on  the  coast  or  in  the  tropics — 
could  break  a  man's  arm  with  as  much  ease  as 
you'd  snap  a  straw.  He's  harsh,  Williams  is — 
harsh!  When  he  came  East  he  got  control  of 
the  Latin-American.  He  loved  money,  and  he 
got  it — most  anyway  he  could.  Yes,  Joe  ought 
to  have  more,  that's  sure,  he  ought  to  have 
more." 

"  You  know  I  should,"  went  on  Brooks  some 
what  mollified  by  his  friend's  acquiescence  and 
support,  and  drawing  a  bulky  pocketbook  from 
the  inside  pocket  of  his  waistcoat.  "  I've  got 
control  of  all  the  money  of  the  company.  That's 
my  job!  Why  here,  this  alone  is  the  afternoon 
collections,  too  late  to  put  in  the  safe — nearly 
three  thousand — more  than  twice  as  much  as  I 
get  in  a  year.  I  could  take  it  all  and  then  not  be 
caught,  or  at  least  not  for  months,  but " 

"  Why,  Joe,  I'm  surprised !  "  his  wife  broke  in. 

"  Of  course  Joe  wouldn't  take  a  cent  that  don't 
belong  to  him,"  said  Smith.  "  I  know  that. 
Williams  does,  too.  So  I  guess  he  figures  him 
safe  and  don't  see  the  least  bit  of  use  in  paying 
him  more." 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  But  I  won't  stand  it ! "  Brooks  declared,  wax 
ing  wroth  again  and  flinging  himself  in  his  chair. 
"  Why  do  you  get  raises,  Jimsy  ?  You've  been 
advanced  time  and  time  again." 

"  Lord,  I  don't  know,"  he  replied.  "  I  just  tell 
the  old  fellow  that  I  calculate  I'm  worth  more 
money.  '  Come  across  or  we  separate/  I  say, 
and  so  far  he's  always  come." 

"  I  was  so  glad  to  hear  of  your  last  good  luck," 
remarked  Emma  sincerely. 

A  look  of  regret  came  over  Smith's  face. 

"  I  only  wish  Joe  had  got  it  instead  of  me,"  he 
said. 

Brooks  jumped  to  his  feet. 

"  You  don't  need  to  wish  that,  Smith,"  he  cried 
excitedly.  "  I'm  no  object  of  charity,  no,  I  ain't. 
And  you're  like  all  the  rest  of  the  capitalistic 
crowd — grind — grind — grind.  Well,  look  out, 
there's  going  to  be  a  smash-up — you  understand  ? 
A  smash-up,  and  you  all  go — millionaires,  toadies 
and — well,  that's  all  I've  got  to  say." 

He  snatched  his  hat  from  a  hook  in  the  hall 
and  went  out  without  another  word,  slamming 
the  front  door  behind  him  so  heavily  that  the 
glasses  on  the  sideboard  rattled. 

52 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Emma  gazed  at  Smith  in  blank  dismay. 

"  I  can't  understand  Joe,"  she  said,  shaking  her 
head  in  worry  and  perplexity.  "  He's  growing 
so  morose  and  discontented." 

"  It's  funny,  ain't  it,"  observed  Smith  reflec 
tively.  "Joe's  just  rushed  out,  filled  up  to  the 
throat  with  anarchy,  socialism,  smash-ups,  and  all 
that  stuff,  almost  ready  to  throw  a  bomb." 

"Nonsense!" 

"  He  is;  yet  if  Williams  had  raised  him  to-day 
ten  dollars  a  week  he  would  have  been  a  firm 
believer  in  capital  and  the  way  it  works." 

She  sighed,  took  a  seat  opposite  to  him  at  the 
table  and  with  great  earnestness  started  in  to 
question  him.  There  were  many  things  she  did 
not  understand,  and  while  they  were  upon  the 
subject  of  her  husband  and  his  troubles  she  re 
solved  to  obtain  elucidation,  if  she  could,  of  some 
of  the  things  that  puzzled  her. 

"Jimsy,"  she  began,  "tell  me  honestly;  why 
doesn't  Joe  get  on?  " 

"  I  really  don't  know,"  he  averred. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  do,"  Emma  insisted. 

"  Honest,  I  don't.  I've  been  so  busy  getting; 
53 


PAID    IN    FULL 

along  myself  that  I  haven't  paid  much  attention 
to  any  one  else." 

He  paused  and  gazed  up  at  the  ceiling,  en 
grossed  in  thought. 

"  You  know,  Emma,"  he  went  on  suddenly, 
turning  toward  her,  "  this  getting  along  busi 
ness  is  a  funny  game.  Such  a  lot  depends  on 
what  a  man  means  when  he  gets  along.  Some 
get  along  when  they  have  got  a  lot  of  money; 
some  when  they  have  a  wife  and  a  home  and  a 
bunch  of  kids;  some  when  they  are  able  to  pick 
pockets  and  fool  the  coppers.  Getting  along, 
and  why  you  do,  or  why  you  don't,  depends  a 
good  deal  on  where  you  want  to  get." 

"And  you,  Jimsy?"  she  questioned.  "Have 
you  been  getting  along?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  guess  so.  I  ain't  got  a  whole  lot 
to  kick  about — perhaps  a  little  less,  maybe  a  little 
more,  than  Joe.  But  the  great  idea  is  not  to  get 
sore.  Joe's  all  right.  Maybe  he's  just  being 
prepared  for  a  better  living.  When  it  comes  he'll 
appreciate  it  more." 

Mrs.  Brooks  looked  doubtful.  She  was  sorely 
troubled. 

"  Somehow  I  don't  seem  to  understand  him  as 
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I  used  to,"  she  confessed.  "  There's  been  A 
change  that  worries  me — that  worries  wie 
greatly." 

Three  sharp  rings  of  the  bell  put  an  end  to 
further  conversation,  and  she  rose,  disappointed, 
and  pushed  the  button. 

"  That's  mother's  ring,"  she  said.  "  Please 
help  me  to  bring  some  chairs  from  the  parlor. 
We  can't  go  there  because  everything's  covered 
up  and  in  disorder.  They're  papering  the  room." 

She  added: 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  Captain  Williams  were 
with  them." 

"No?     Why  so?" 

"  Oh,  he's  a  frequent  caller.  He  takes  mamma 
and  Beth  out  in  his  new  auto  and  has  brought 
them  around  here  quite  frequently  of  late." 

"Does  he  ever  take  you  for  a  ride?" 

"  He  asks  me  to  go,  but  I  won't." 

"Why  not?" 

"  That's  just  what  I  can't  tell.  There's  some 
thing  about  the  man  that  is  repulsive — he  looks 
at  me  so  strangely.  And  then  I  know  just  how 
he  has  treated  Joe,  and " 

"And  what?" 

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"  I  don't  like  him— that's  all." 

"  That's  enough,  it  seems  to  me.  After  all,  I 
guess  he  figures  all  to  the  bad  with  women — de 
cent  women." 

"  Mamma  and  Beth  like  him." 

"  Well,  your  mother  never  did  shine  up  to  me 
more'n  the  law  allowed,  and  as  for  Beth — she's  a 
nice  enough  girl,  but  her  education  hurts  her,  I 
think." 

"  Hush,  here  they  are." 

And  the  little  woman  hurried  into  the  hall  to 
open  the  door  for  them. 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  V, 

WHEN  broad-minded  Mrs.  Brooks  ob 
served  to  her  husband  that  she  did  not 
understand  her  mother  any  more  than 
her  mother  understood  her  she  had  expressed 
exactly  the  mental  relation  in  which  they  stood 
towards  each  other.  Mrs.  Harris  was  one  of 
those  women  occasionally  to  be  met  with  who 
continue  to  treat  their  grown-up  sons,  and  espe 
cially  their  grown-up  daughters,  as  children  and 
feel  it  incumbent  upon  them,  nay,  consider  it 
their  bounden  duty,  to  interfere  with  advice  and 
comment  in  the  natural  progress  of  domestic 
sophistication  of  their  young  wedded  offspring, 
forgetting,  or,  rather,  not  realizing,  that  there  is 
no  short  cut  to  it,  that  it  can  be  attained  only  by 
actual  experience  of  husband  and  wife  in  the  obli 
gations  and  responsibilities  of  their  own  family 
life,  and  by  the  final  comprehension  of  each  other 
which  comes  through  that  intimacy  which  lays 
bare  all  defects  as  it  reveals  all  perfections,  and 

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through  that  alone.  All  of  which  takes  time. 
Moreover,  as  already  has  been  intimated,  she  was 
a  woman  wholly  lacking  in  tact  and  depth  of 
mind,  and  possessed  to  an  exaggerated  degree 
that  "  quicksand  of  reason,"  vanity,  which  is 
Dangerously  juxtaposited  to  the  snare-shoal  of 
ridicule. 

Mrs.  Harris  and  Miss  Beth  Harris  were  out 
for  a  ride  with  Capt.  Williams,  who  accom 
panied  them,  and  all  were  in  automobile  tenue. 
Her  mother  and  sister  greeted  Emma  effusively. 
sTheir  escort  extended  his  hand,  but  Mrs.  Brooks 
was  too  much  occupied  for  once  in  responding 
to  her  parent's  embraces  to  notice  it.  He 
stalked  in  with  rude  familiarity,  without  removing 
his  automobile  cap  upon  which  he  had  pushed  up 
his  goggles,  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with 
Smith. 

"  Hello!  You  here?  "  he  said  by  way  of  greet 
ing,  greatly  surprised  to  see  his  superintendent 
there  on  that  above  all  nights. 

"  Ya-as,"  replied  Jimsy.     "  I'm  here — again." 

"  Ought  to  take  a  berth  here/'  grunted  his 
employer,  looking  round  for  the  most  comfort- 

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able  chair  and  installing  himself  in  it.  "  You're 
always  around." 

"  Much  as  possible,"  admitted  Smith  tranquilly, 
remaining  standing.  "  How  do  you  find  your, 
new  car?" 

"  Good  enough.  Cost  five  thousand  dollars — > 
ought  to  be  good — ought  to  be." 

Mrs.  Harris  and  Beth  bustled  in,  throwing1 
open  their  automobile  coats  and  disclosing  very 
handsome  gowns  that  contrasted  strangely  with 
Emma's  poor  little  cotton  frock. 

"  Why,  good  evening,  Jimsy,"  cried  Mrs.  Har 
ris,  adding  in  the  same  breath  as  she  looked 
around  and  failed  to  see  her  son-in-law,  "  Where's 
Joe?" 

"  Gone  out  for  a  walk,  I  guess,"  he  answered. 
"Howdy,  Beth?" 

"  Very  well,  thank  you,  Mr.  Smith,"  responded! 
that  young  person  somewhat  frigidly. 

"Mr.  Smith?"  he  echoed,  looking  at  her  curi 
ously. 

The  girl  raised  her  eyebrows  and  affected  sur 
prise. 

"  Isn't  that  right?  "  she  inquired. 

"  Yes — Smith  is  the  name,"  he  replied.  "  It 
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ain't  that  I've  forgot  it — no — only  to  remind  you 
that  the  first  one — Jimsy — ain't  been  changed." 

"  No,  dearie,  Jimsy  wouldn't  know  what  it 
meant  to  be  mistered,"  observed  Mrs.  Harris  with 
an  intonation  of  disdain. 

"  Me  neither,"  put  in  WilUams,  "  but  a  man's 
got  to  get  used  to  it." 

"Have  you  got  used  to  it,  Captain?"  asked 
Emma. 

"  Yes  and  no.  I  never  had  it  given  to  me  until 
I  came  East — always  used  to  be  Cap'n  Bill  or 
something  on  that  order — but  with  Eastern  airs 
and  a  bit  of  prosperity  your  old  ways  have  got  to 
change." 

Mrs.  Harris  had  been  gazing  about  her  depre- 
catingly.  She  wanted  to  know  why  they  should 
stay  in  the  dining-room.  Emma  explained  that 
they  had  succeeded  in  inducing  the  janitor  to 
have  the  sitting-room  papered,  and  that  it  was  all 
upset. 

"This  ain't  bad,"  commented  Capt.  Will 
iams.  "  It's  real  cozy,  and  you  can  see  a  woman's 
had  a  hand  in  the  arrangement." 

"  But  it's  a  little  bit  ,of  a  stuffy  four-roomed 
flat,"  objected  Beth,  turning  up  her  pretty  nose — 

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for,  like  her  sister,  she  was  exceedingly  prepos 
sessing.     "  Really,  I  should  die  in  one." 

"  Well,  Beth,"  remarked  Smith  with  his  quiet 
drawl,  "  you  never  can  tell.  Maybe  you  will." 

Beth  made  a  grimace. 

"  I  would,  if  I  had  to  do  my  own  work,  washing 
dishes — ugh !  " 

"  I  don't  see  how  Emma  stands  it."  declared 
Mrs.  Harris.  "  It's  just  drudgery !" 

"  Well,  mother,  please  remember  it's  Emma 
who  does  stand  it  after  all,"  retorted  that  little 
woman  patiently,  "  so  please,  please,  don't  you 
mind." 

"  I  think  it's  a  great  little  nook,  Mrs.  Brooks," 
opined  Williams. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain,"  she  said  gratefully. 

"And  fixed  up  nice  and  comfortable.  Can't 
say  as  anything  looks  cheap." 

"  Thank  you  again.     Perhaps  it  isn't." 

"You  know,  Captain,  you  ain't  the  only  one 
who's  found  out  the  secret  of  making  a  dollar 
produce  five  hundred  cents,"  said  Smith  with  his 
whimsical  smile. 

"Has  he  done  that?"  inquired  Mrs.  Harris, 
affecting  surprise  and  admiration. 

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"Figuratively  speaking,  I  presume?"  chimed 
in  Beth  primly. 

"  I  always  thought  five  hundred  was  figura 
tively  speaking,"  said  Smith. 

Capt.  Williams  had  produced  his  pipe,  filled 
it  and  lighted  it  without  asking  permission. 

"  Smith  says  I'm  close — I'm  not,"  he  declared. 
"  To  me,  business  is  business.  If  I've  got  money 
nobody  gave  it  to  me.  I  earned  what  I  earned, 
«md  then  I  made  that  earn  more." 

"  You  sure  ain't  given  it  no  vacations,  Cap 
tain,"  commented  his  superintendent  dryly. 

"And  that's  right,"  affirmed  Mrs.  Harris  with 
some  heat.  "  I  believe  in  men  getting  money. 
Mr.  Harris  was  one  of  those  soft-hearted  men 
•who  never  made  the  best  of  his  opportunities — 
always  trying  to  be  fair  and  square  with  other 
men,  and  what  thanks  did  he  get?" 

"Mother,  please!"  remonstrated  Emma. 

"  It's  true,"  went  on  her  parent.  "  If  he  hadn't 
been  that  way,  Emma,  do  you  suppose  you'd  be 
here  doing  your  own  work  ?  " 

"  Mother,  I  insist — you  must  not " 

"  Mother  is  perfectly  right,"  interrupted  Beth. 
"Emma,  you  don't  deserve  this  kind  of  a  life." 

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"  But  have  I  complained  ? "  demanded  Mrs, 
Brooks  desperately.  "  Why  do  you  say  such 
things?" 

"  Because  I've  got  myself  to  think  of,"  snapped 
her  mother.  "  You're  wasting  yourself — tied  up 
to  the  house  all  the  time — and  everybody,  all  my 
friends,  know  just  how  you're  fixed.  You're 
never  invited  anywhere  any  more." 

"  Completely  forgotten,"  said  Beth. 

Brooks,  who  had  let  himself  in  silently  and 
unobserved,  stood  in  the  hall  irresolutely,  watch 
ing  them  and  listening  to  the  conversation. 

"  Please  don't,"  entreated  Emma,  greatly  dis 
tressed,  "  it's  my  affair,  and  besides,  before 
people " 

"  You  might  say  the  Captain's  almost  one  of 
the  family  since  your  father  died,"  put  in  her 
mother.  "  I  knew  you  should  never  have  mar 
ried  Joe,  that  he  couldn't  take  care  of  you  the 
way  he  ought." 

"  It's  too  late  now,"  said  Beth,  shrugging-  her 
shoulders.  "  Captain,  don't  you  thiak  Emma 
should  have  more  ?  " 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Brooks  must  know  her  own 
mind,"  he  replied.  "  Your  fatfeer,  when  he 

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worked  for  me,  always  had  a  way  of  his  own.  But 
it  does  seem  as  if  she  should  at  least  have  a  hired 
girl  and  more  than  four  rooms  to  a  flat,  but " 

Brooks  strode  into  the  room,  livid  with  pas 
sion,  goaded  to  a  white  heat  of  fury,  reckless  of 
everything,  murder  in  his  heart,  and,  hurling  his 
hat  to  the  floor,  faced  the  company. 

"It  does  seem  so,  does  it?"  he  fairly  hissed, 
going  over  to  his  employer.  "  I'm  glad  you 
think  so.  And  why  hasn't  she?  Will  you  tell 
me  that?  Speak,  will  you  tell  me  that?  I'll  tell 
you  why,  you  slave  driver !  " 

Mrs.  Harris  and  Beth  sat  speechless  and  pale, 
but  Smith  rose. 

"Steady,  Joe,  boy!"  he  admonished. 

Emma  had  hurried  to  her  husband  and  grasped 
his  arm. 

"Oh,  Joe,  don't!"  she  implored.  "You 
don't " 

He  flung  her  roughly  from  him. 

"  Let  me  alone ! "  he  shouted,  and  turned  to 
Williams  again,  quivering  with  rage.  "  Do  you 
know  why  she  hasn't?"  he  continued.  "Well, 
I'll  tell  you  all.  It's  because  this  man  ain't  on  the 
square.  He  began  by  cheating  and  murdering; 
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niggers  who  worked  for  him  aboard  his  rotten 
trading  ships.  Then,  after  he  got  through  with 
the  belaying  pin,  after  he  got  his  money,  he 
(picked  up  the  salary  list  for  a  club  and  he's  mur 
dered  and  wounded  and  maimed  with  that.  You 
see  my  wife  here?  She's  only  one  of  hundreds, 
and  she  suffers.  It  is  too  bad  she  married  me.  It 
is  too  bad  that  she's  got  to  do  her  own  work ;  it  is 
too  bad  that  she's  got  to  wash  and  scrub  and 
sweat  in  the  heat,  but  that  man's  to  blame.  If 
you  gave  me  a  fair  share  of  what  I  produce,  if  you 
didn't  grind  down,  oppress  and  pinch,  she 
wouldn't  have  to.  I've  worked  for  you  five  years, 
hard,  honest,  and  all  the  time  you've  been  grind 
ing  me  down,  down,  and  thousands  of  others, 
thousands.  You  know,  all  of  you  know — my 
mother-in-law  and  smart  sister-in-law  know — 
you've  piled  up  your  money  on  the  blood  and 
sweat  and  misery  of  others.  That's  the  kind  of  a 
man  you  are,  and  you  might  as  well  know  it." 

Capt.  Williams  had  listened  to  this  denuncia 
tion  at  first  in  utter  amazement.  Then  his  shaggy 
eyebrows  had  knitted  together  and  his  little  eyes 
narrowed  to  slits,  while  the  blood  had  spread 
over  his  face  in  a  deep  glow  through  the  veins 

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that  swelled  out  like  cords  on  his  neck  and  throat. 

"  There  ain't  no  one  ever  said  them  things  to 
me  and  got  away  with  it,"  he  thundered,  clench 
ing  his  fists  and  gathering  all  his  tremendous 
strength  as  he  rose  to  crush  his  accuser. 

Mrs.  Harris  and  Beth  sprang  up  in  great  alarm, 
and  at  the  Captain's  terrifying  voice  and  his 
ferocious  aspect  Brooks  shrank  back.  Smith 
stood  impassive,  but  watching  Williams,  toward 
whom  he  had  been  edging. 

Emma  had  stepped  quickly  between  the  Cap 
tain  and  her  husband. 

"  Please — please  Captain — for  my  sake,"  she 
pleaded. 

"  I  don't  care — let  him  come  on,"  cried  Brooks, 
doggedly,  but  his  voice  faltering. 

Williams  gazed  at  the  sweet,  frail  woman 
standing  imploringly  before  him,  and  as  he  gazed 
his  muscles  gradually  relaxed,  the  wrath  faded 
from  his  eyes  and  finally  the  corners  of  his  mouth 
twitched  in  a  faint  smile. 

"  All  right,"  Mrs.  Brooks,  he  said  gently.  "  I 
almost  forgot  where  I  was.  I  apologize." 

Smith,  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  moved  away 
across  the  room. 

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"  Joe — you  know  it's  your  home,  our  home," 
expostulated  his  wife. 

"  I — I — forgot.  Excuse  me,"  he  muttered 
sulkily,  looking  ashamed. 

Smith  spoke  up,  his  winning  smile  lighting  his 
face: 

"  You  know  it's  been  an  all-fired  hot  day — just 
the  kind  of  weather  when  about  every  mother's 
son  is  on  edge.  Now,  Joe,  he  slipped  a  cog  and  that 
sort  of  put  the  whole  confounded  machine  out  of 
gear — including  the  Captain.  But  now,  you  see, 
it's  just  all  forgotten." 

"  Possibly ;  as  far  as  I'm  concerned  I  must  be 
going,"  declared  Mrs.  Harris,  coldly. 

"  Indeed,  yes ! "  chirped  Beth. 

Brooks,  now,  his  rage  having  spent  itself  and 
his  bravado  fizzled  out,  was  almost  crying. 

"  I— I "  he  began. 

But  the  words  choked  in  his  throat,  and,  pick 
ing  up  his  hat,  he  hastened  out  of  the  room  and 
the  flat. 

"  Will  you  please  take  us  away,  Captain  ?  "  re 
quested  Mrs.  Harris. 

"  Just  a  moment,"  he  said.  "  Mrs.  Brooks,  I'm 
almighty  sorry  about  what  happened  just  now." 

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"  I — I'd  rather  you  wouldn't  speak  of  it,"  she 
told  him. 

But  the  man  had  something  on  his  mind  that 
he  was  bent  on  delivering  himself  of. 

"  Perhaps  I  have  been  a  little  hard,"  he  said, 
earnestly  and  apologetically.  "  I  want  you  all  to 
understand  that  I've  lived  a  hard  life  with  hard 
people.  Since  the  day  I  shipped  before  the  mast 
in  a  North  Pacific  sealer  I  learned  what  a  cuff  and 
a  blow  was ;  what  rotten  grub,  the  scurvy  and  all 
them  things  meant,  and  I  knew  that  the  only 
thing  between  them  things  and  comfort,  decency 
and  the  respect  of  folks  was  money.  I  started  to 
get  money,  and  maybe  I  have  been  a  little  hard, 
just  a  little  hard." 

"  No  one  would  call  you  easy,  Captain,"  agreed 
Smith. 

"Anyway,  Mrs.  Brooks,"  continued  Williams, 
"  Joe  keeps  his  job,  and  it  ain't  going  to  make  a 
bit  of  difference  between  us." 

"  Not  the  least?  "  she  asked  with  wonder. 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Mrs.  Harris. 

"  Joe,"  declared  Beth  languidly,  "  was  absurd  ; 
he  quite  bores  me!" 

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Smith  smiled  at  her  and  injected  a  good  deal  of 
irony  into  his  tone  as  he  said : 

*'  Yes,  you  looked  as  if  something  was  wrong, 
Beth." 

Whereupon  that  forward  young  person  sub 
sided  and  ventured  no  further  remark. 

The  Captain  approached  Mrs.  Brooks  with  an 
attempt  at  gallantry  that  was  elephantine  and 
grotesque,  and  seized  her  hand,  which  she  suf 
fered  to  remain  limply  in  his  clasp. 

"Well,  Mrs.  Brooks,"  he  said,  "if  it's  all 
squared  you  will  come  riding  with  us,  won't 
you?" 

"  Not  to-night.  You  will  excuse  me,"  she  re 
plied. 

"  Certainly,"  he  assured  her,  warmly  shaking 
her  hand  as  though  it  were  a  pump  handle, 
"Good  night." 

"Good  night !"  she  answered. 

Then  she  advanced  to  receive  the  parting 
kisses  of  her  mother  and  sister,  which  were  a 
good  deal  less  cordial  than  those  with  which  they 
had  greeted  her  on  their  arrival.  Their  osculatory 
reserves  seemed  to  have  been  kept  in  cold  stor 
age  during  the  interval. 

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The  fact  that  in  the  engrossing  ceremony  of 
leave  taking  with  Mrs.  Brooks  everybody  forgot 
to  be  polite  enough  to  say  good-night  to  Smith 
did  not  ruffle  his  equanimity  in  the  least 


PAID    IN    FULL 


w 


CHAPTER  VI 

'HEN  the  door  had  closed  behind  the  vis 
itors  Mrs.  Brooks  and  Smith  sat  down 
and  gazed  at  each  other  in  silence  for 
some  minutes. 

"  Well  ?  "  exclaimed  Emma,  interrogatively,  at 
last. 

"  Well,"  he  replied,  "  between  you  and  me,  Joe 
came  as  near  getting  skinned  alive  as  anyone  I 
ever  saw." 

"  It  was  terrible  !  " 

"  It  was  terribly  true.    You  saved  him." 

"  I  know." 

"  The  Captain  must  like  you.  I  never  did  think 
he  could  like  anybody." 

"  I  hate  him !  "  she  declared,  with  a  grimace  of 
disgust.  "  Ugh !  what  a  beast !  " 

Smith  reflected. 

"  Maybe,  and  maybe  not,"  he  mused.  "  I  can't 
just  make  him  out" 

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At  this  juncture  the  front  door  opened  and 
Brooks  entered. 

"  I  saw  them  drive  off,"  he  said,  dropping  into 
a  chair.  "  I  hope  they'll  stay  away  in  future.  That 
mother  and  sister  of  yours  make  me  tired !  I  can't 
stand  for  them,  and,  what's  more,  I  won't !  They'd 
drive  a  saint  to  drink,  and  I'm  no  saint,  and  don't 
purpose  to  be,  either." 

His  wife  began  to  reproach  him  for  his  attack 
upon  Capt.  Williams  and  for  his  general  ill  humor 
during  the  evening,  but  he  cut  her  short  sharply : 

"  We  won't  talk  about  that — not  a  word,  you 
understand?  Not  from  you  or  anyone  else. 
That's  final." 

"  Very  well,  it's  dropped,"  she  said,  and,  angry; 
at  last  in  turn,  rose  and  went  to  her  room. 

Indifferently  he  watched  her  go,  then  turned  to 
Smith. 

"Got  anything  to  smoke,  Jimsy?"  he  de 
manded. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  fumbling  in  his  pockets,  "  as 
usual,  I'm  just  out,  but  I'll  run  around  to  the  cor 
ner  store  and  get  some  cigars." 

Left  alone,  Brooks  began  to  give  way  to  the 
uneasiness  and  apprehension  that  had  followed 

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upon  his  scene  with  Capt.  Williams  when  he  had 
cooled  down  and  was  able  to  consider  the  prob 
able  consequences. 

"  I  wonder  if  Williams  will  fire  me  ?  "  he  mut 
tered.  "  If  he  doesn't  it's  on  account  of  Emma. 
He  acted  as  if  he'd  go  a  long  ways  for  Emma." 

He  was  anxious  to  know  what  had  happened 
after  his  brusque  departure.  He  went  into  the 
bedroom  and  found  his  wife  in  tears. 

"  Don't  cry,  Emma,"  he  said,  soothingly,  go 
ing1  to  her  and  taking  her  in  his  arms.  "  I  didn't 
mean  to  hurt  your  feelings.  I  know  I've  got  a 
fierce  grouch  on  to-night,  but  I  can't  help  it.  So 
would  you  have  one  if  you'd  had  to  put  up  with 
what  I  have  to-day." 

Mrs.  Brooks  was  one  of  those  sweet-natured 
women  who  could  not  sulk  for  more  than  five 
minutes  if  they  tried.  It  needed  but  his  caress 
and  apparent  contrition  to  dispel  her  resentment 
incontinently. 

"  You  certainly  have  had  cause  to  worry,  dear," 
she  assented. 

"  After  what's  happened  to-night  I'll  have  to 
hunt  another  job,"  he  said.  "But  I  don't  care. 
I'm  glad  I  told  the  beast  what  I  thought  of  him. 

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Some  day  somebody'll  tell  him  what  they  thin* 
of  him,  and  plug  him,  too,  as  sure  as  he's  born." 

"  You'll  not  have  to  hunt  for  another  job  yet 
awhile,"  she  told  him.  "The  Captain  said  he 
would  overlook  it,  and  that  it  wouldn't  make  any 
difference." 

Her  husband  looked  at  her  in  astonishment, 
half  incredulous. 

"He  said  that?" 

"  Yes,  and  I'm  glad  it's  turned  out  as  it  has,  for 
how  we'd  manage  if  you  were  out  of  work  just 
now  goodness  knows.  I  don't ! " 

"Just  how  did  he  put  it?" 

"  He  said  he  was  almighty  sorry  for  what  had 
occurred;  that  he  knew  he  had  been  hard  at 
times,  and  that  as  far  as  your  place  and  we  were 
concerned  there  would  be  no  change." 

Brooks's  relief  showed  in  his  face. 

"  Well,  that  knocks  me,"  he  commented.  "  No 
body  else  ever  bucked  up  against  him  and  got  off 
scott  free.  I  can't  understand  it.  Did  your 
mother  put  in  a  word  for  me?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  it's  you  who  must  have  a  pull.  He  died 
right  down  when  you  spoke  to  him.  I  never 

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would  have  believed  such  a  thing.  If  you  had 
been  a  man  standing  there  in  front  of  him  he'd 

have  smashed  you Darn  it,  I  wonder  who's 

ringing  now?  Can't  be  Jimsy;  he  hasn't  had  time 
to  get  to  the  street  at  the  gait  he  goes." 

He  went  to  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  met  a 
messenger  boy  who  was  bearing  a  letter,  and  had 
received  instructions  to  wait  for  an  answer.  He 
re-entered,  telling  the  boy  to  remain  at  the  door, 
and  hastily  broke  open  the  envelope. 

"  Sure ! "  he  exclaimed  joyfully,  as  he  perused 
the  missive.  "  Tickled  to  death !  Go  and  get  your 
things  on,  Emma.  It's  from  Beatrice  Langley 
and  Willie  Ferguson.  Willie's  giving  a  sort  of 
theatre  party,  and  they  want  us  to  go  with  them. 
There's  going  to  be  a  little  supper  afterward." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Tell  them  we  can't  go." 

"Can't  go!  Why  not?" 

"  I  simply  can't." 

"  I  don't  see  why." 

"Well,  then,  I  won't;  so  there!  You'd  better 
make  some  excuse." 

"  Write  it  yourself,  then,"  he  said,  irritated  and 
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deeply  disappointed.  "  I'm  not  going  to  lie  to 
them." 

Without  another  word  she  fetched  some  writ 
ing  material,  indited  the  note  and  sent  it  off  by 
the  messenger. 

'"What's  the  matter?  Are  you  sore  over  what 
happened  to-night?"  he  demanded,  sulkily. 

"  No,  I'm  not  sore,  Joe." 

"  Then  why  can't  you  go  ?  " 

"  Because  I  can't.  '  That's  all." 

"  I  think  you  might.  If  you  didn't  want  to  go 
yourself  you  might  have  accepted  for  my  sake.  I 
never  get  any  amusement — and  you're  always 
complaining." 

"  When  do  I  complain,  and  of  what?  " 

"  It's  the  selfish  way  you  act,  I  mean.  For  once 
we  get  a  chance  to  go  and  see  a  decent  show  and 
afterward  have  a  supper  party,  you  get  sore — you 
simply  don't  want  to  go.  You  haven't  any  con 
sideration  for  me." 

Burning  with  indignation,  she  went  up  to  him 
and  forced  him  to  look  her  in  the  face. 

"  You  say  I  have  no  consideration  for  you ! " 
she  said.  "  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  why  I  can't 
go.  I  haven't  had  a  new  dress  in  a  year.  My 

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gioves  are  all  worn  out.  I've  skimped  and  strug 
gled  and  economized  until  I  can't  do  any  more. 
I'd  go  to  the  theatre  if  I  could  go  alone  or  with 
yon,  or  with  Jimsy,  and  hide  somewhere  in  the 
corner ;  but  do  you  think  I  want  to  go  to  a  party 
looking  like  a  kitchen  maid?  My  shoes  are 
cracked.  Everything  is  second  hand  and  old  and 
ugly.  And  look  at  me!  D<o  you  know  what's 
happened  to  me?  I've  grown  common  and  coarse 
and  cheap.  Sometimes  when  I  look  at  myself  in 
the  glass  it  seems  as  though  I  could  see  the  dirt 
and  the  grease  and  the  horrid  nastiness  of  it  all 
staring  me  right  in  the  face.  Why  don't  I  go? 
I'm  ashamed — that's  all.  And  you  make  it 
harder.  It  has  almost  reached  my  limit  of  endur 
ance." 

She  turned  from  him,  tears  of  vexation  and 
hun.'iliation  in  her  eyes. 

As  she  did  so  Smith,  the  peacemaker,  entered. 
He  had  arrived  in  time  to  hear  the  last  part  of  the 
confession  that  had  been  forced  from  her  by  her 
husband's  injustice  and  selfishness. 

"  Emma,"  he  said,  soothingly,  "  there  ain't  no 
use  in  making  Joe  feel  worse  than  he  does.  He 
works  like  the  devil,  but  somehow  Joe  wasn't 

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built  exactly  lucky.  He  is  one  of  those  fellows 
like  I  used  to  know  in  Colorado  who  spend  all 
their  lives  looking  for  a  gold  mine  and  never 
quite  find  one.  But  Joe's  all  right,  and  just  to 
make  this  eventful  sort  of  evening  end  up  nicely 
I'm  going  to  hike  to  the  best  show  in  town,  and 
you  two  are  going  to  hit  my  trail  while  I  dig  up 
the  necessary  spondulix  to  defray  any  and  all  ex 
pense  incurred,  including  a  slight  and  select  grub 
stake  after  the  entertainment.  Now,  what  do  you 
think  of  that  ?  " 

Brooks,  who  had  been  listening  to  his  wife  and 
friend  sullenly,  was  filled  with  a  sudden  resolve. 

"  No,  you  won't !  "  he  said,  tempestuously.  "  I 
ain't  going  to  be  an  object  of  charity.  I'm  as 
sick  and  tired  of  this  whole  business  as  she  is. 
Emma,  you  put  on  the  best  dress  you've  got,  and 
fix  yourself  up  the  best  you  can  and  I'll  take  you 
to  a  show,  and  if  Jimsy  wants  to  come  he  can 
come  as  my  guest.  I'm  still  a  man,  and  it's  just 
as  right  I  should  take  care  of  my  wife  and  let  her 
have  a  little  fun  as  it  is  for  the  Astars  and  Van- 
derbilts  and  all  of  them  to  spend  money  on  their 
families.  I'm  going  to  do  it,  and  I  don't  care 

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whether  I  can  afford  it  or  not.  I  can  find  a  way- 
all  right.  Hurry  up,  Emma !  " 

Mrs.  Brooks  would  much  rather  have  stayed 
at  home.  She  was  worn  out  with  the  constant 
quarreling  and  exciting  happenings  of  the  even 
ing,  but  she  did  not  want  to  be  accused  of  con 
trariness.  So  she  said : 

"  If  you  think  we  can  really  afford  it  I'd  like  to 
go.  I  haven't  seen  a  show  in  nearly  a  year.  Do 
you  think  I'd  better  go,  Jimsy  ?  " 

"  Why,  surely,  my  girl,"  was  Smith's  reply. 
"  There's  no  use  of  sticking  around  here  all  the 
time  and  getting  into  more  rows.  Go  ahead ! " 

"  Then  I'll  hurry  and  get  ready,"  she  said, 
hastening  to  her  room. 

Brooks  had  seated  himself  and  was  gazing  be 
fore  him  with  a  determined  expression,  his  hands 
clasped  between  his  knees.  Smith  went  to  him 
and  tendered  a  bill  to  him. 

"Joe,"  he  said,  kindly,  "you'd  better  let  me 
slip  you  the  ten  that  will  be  necessary  to  pay  for 
this  business.  You  know  Emma  don't  need  to 
know,  and  you  ain't  got  the  coin  to  blow  in." 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  he  asserted,  pushing  the  note 
from  him,  "  and  I'll  pay  for  it  myself." 

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"  All  right,  Joe.  But  take  my  tip.  When  you 
go  into  the  borrowing  business  you'd  better  bor 
row  from  the  fellow  who  knows  he's  giving  it  to 
you  and  ain't  in  a  hurry  to  get  it  back." 

"  Look  here,  Jimsy,"  exclaimed  Brooks,  hotly, 
jumping  up,  "  don't  you  butt  into  my  business ! 
It's  none  of  your  affair.  And,  by  the  way,  it 
might  be  just  as  well  to  remind  you  that  Em 
ma's  my  wife,  my  wife,  you  hear?  She  married 
me,  no  one  else — just  me — although  I've  been 
told  she  had  other  chances  at  the  time." 

Smith  gazed  at  him  without  any  trace  of  of 
fence,  but  with  a  look  of  pain  in  his  eyes. 

"  I'm  sorry  you  said  that,  Joe,"  he  answered,  in 
his  slow,  quiet  voice.  "  Yes,  I  know  Emma's 
your  wife,  and  that  she  chose  you  after  I  asked 
her  to  be  mine,  and  it  is  just  because  I  do  know 
that  that  I  don't  want  you  to  go  wrong,  and  for 
just  that  same  reason  I  want  you  to  understand 
that  if  you  ever  get  into  a  tight  hole  you  can  gam 
ble  on  me  for  help,  and  I — I  ain't  always  been  a 
spendthrift.  Good  night." 

"You're  not  going,  then?"  inquired  Brooks, 
as  iris  friend  moved  toward  the  hall;  but  there 
was  nothing  in  the  tone  of  the  query  designed  to 

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encourage  the  great-hearted  fellow  to  accompany 
them. 

"  No,  you  two  had  better  go  together,"  he  re 
plied,  as  he  passed  out. 

When  he  had  gone  Brooks  drew  quickly  from 
the  inside  pocket  of  his  waistcoat  the  pocket- 
book  containing  the  collections  in  checks  and 
bills  that  he  had  not  had  time  to  turn  in  to  the 
company,  extracted  a  bill  of  ten  dollars  and  re 
turned  the  wad  to  its  hiding  place. 

Emma  emerged  from  the  bedroom  with  her  hat 
and  jacket  on. 

"  Why,  where's  Jimsy  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  He  went  home.  He  said  he  guessed  he'd  bet 
ter  not  come,  as  he  wanted  to  get  up  early,  or 
something  or  other,"  lied  Brooks. 

"  I  wonder  why  he  changed  his  mind  so  sud 
denly,"  she  said. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  when  they  found  them 
selves  in  the  street,  and  Brooks  decided  on  a 
vaudeville  show  as  being  the  only  possible  place 
of  entertainment  they  could  go  to  at  that  hour. 
It  possessed,  moreover,  the  attraction  of  being 
cheap.  The  performance  turned  out  to  be  a  good 
one,  the  various  numbers  being  lively  and  funny. 

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It  had  been  so  long  since  they  had  permitted 
themselves  the  extravagance  of  a  night  out  that 
Mrs.  Brooks  enjoyed  the  change  to  the  full. 
Watching  the  actors  and  laughing  at  their  jokes 
and  antics,  she  forgot  for  the  time  her  worries, 
and  the  painful  impression  of  the  early  evening1 
was  completely  dispelled.  As  the  performance 
progressed  Brooks  also  underwent  a  change  of 
mood,  and  by  the  time  the  curtain  fell  he  had 
softened  to  something  of  his  old  self  and  was 
tender  and  attentive. 

When  they  found  themselves  outside  again  she 
was  for  going  straight  home,  but  he  would  not 
hear  of  it. 

"  No,"  he  said,  gayly,  squeezing  her  arm  that 
she  had  passed  under  his  and  patting  her  hand 
affectionately,  "  we  are  out  for  a  good  time  for 
once,  and  we're  going  to  have  it." 

She  demurred  feebly,  wanting  to  go,  but  feel 
ing  that  scruple  on  the  ground  of  expense  which, 
from  the  necessity  of  exercising  strict  and  unre 
lenting  economy,  entered  into  all  her  household 
expenditures;  but  he  brushed  aside  her  cautious 
calculations,  and  soon  they  were  seated  in  a  res 
taurant  of  qwite  imposing  aspect,  and  he  was 
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ordering  broiled  lobsters  and  wine  with  the  air 
of  a  man  to  whom  money  was  no  object.  He 
was  in  rare  high  spirits,  and  gallant  with  a  tender 
ness  he  had  not  manifested  toward  her  in 
many  a  moon.  Ke  chattered  and  chattered  and 
his  animation  communicated  itself  to  her,  so  that 
her  eyes  sparkled,  her  pretty  face  was  wreathed 
in  happy  smiles  and  she  returned  his  glances 
of  love  and  admiration,  as  in  the  happy  days  of 
their  early  married  life,  when  they  were  all  in  all 
to  each  other  and  there  was  none  so  handsome 
and  so  noble-minded  as  he  in  all  the  world. 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOMETHING  untoward  was  happening,  OP 
impending,  at  the  extensive  piers  and 
docks  of  the  Latin-American  Steamship 
Company  on  South  Street,  Manhattan.  This  had 
been  evident  from  an  early  hour,  for  when  as 
whistle-sounding  time  approached  the  workmen 
trooped  toward  the  docks  and  warehouses  to  be 
gin  their  daily  toil  they  found  groups  of  police 
men  stationed  about  the  approaches  to  the  Latin- 
American  line's  property.  On  the  faces  of  the 
men  who  entered  its  gates  was  an  expression  of 
expectancy  and  determination. 

The  earliest  man  to  arrive  saw  the  tall,  gaunt 
form  of  Mr.  Smith,  the  superintendent,  standing 
at  the  door  of  the  office  building.  He  had  been 
working  hard  while  they  slept,  but  there  was  no 
evidence  of  his  all-night  labor  upon  his  cheerful 
visage,  nor  was  any  sign  of  anxiety  or  of  the 
knowledge  that  any  unusual  situation  had  arisen 
discernible  in  his  phlegmatic  demeanor.  He  ap- 

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peared  to  be  enjoying  the  morning  air  and  his 
cigar  without  a  care  in  the  world.  His  presence 
there  at  that  hour  was  the  only  indication  that 
he  expected  trouble.  He  had  not  allowed  one 
policeman  to  remain  within  the  gates.  Hardly  a 
man  passed  in  but  saluted  him  verbally  or  with 
a  touch  of  the  hat,  and  not  a  salute  was  given 
without  being  acknowledged.  To  some  he  re 
sponded  with  a  genial  smile  and  a  "  Hullo,  Tom," 
or  "  Howdy,  Bill." 

When  they  had  started  their  work,  which  was 
to  be  stopped  completely  at  ten  o'clock,  he  van 
ished  upstairs,  nor  was  he  seen  again  until  the 
hands  of  the  clock  approached  that  hour  and  the 
strike  leaders  began  to  go  among  the  restless 
men.  Then  he  sauntered  out,  ordered  work 
stopped,  and,  mounting  a  crate  of  merchandise, 
assembled  the  men  about  him. 

"  You  boys,"  he  said,  in  his  slow,  distinct  voice, 
"  have  made  up  your  minds  to  quit  at  ten  o'clock 
because  somebody  told  you  you  ought  to  be  get 
ting  more  pay  and  a  raise  was  refused.  Well,  this 
is  a  free  country,  and  every  man's  right  to  sell  his 
labor  where  he  likes  and  at  what  price  he  likes  is 
s-uaranteed  him  by  the  Constitution.  If  you  want 

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to  walk  out  of  here  you  are  free  to  do  so,  but  if 
you  take  my  advice " 

"  See  here,"  interrupted  one  of  the  leaders, 
roughly,  pushing  to  the  front.  "  We  ain't  askin' 
no  advice  from  you  nor  no  one  else.  What  we 
want  is  money.  Do  we  get  that  raise  or  don't 
we?  If  we  do,  all  right;  if  we  don't,  we  quit,  here 
and  now,  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it." 

A  murmur  of  approval  greeted  this  ultimatum. 

"  No,"  answered  the  superintendent.  "  I  ain't 
going  to  leave  you  in  doubt  about  it  for  a  min 
ute.  You  don't  get  it." 

"  Then  shut  up!  "  ordered  the  man.  "  We  ain't 
goin'  to  lose  our  time  listenin'  to  no  cheap  talk. 
We've  voted  to  quit,  and  all  talk  is  off." 

"  All  right,"  retorted  Smith.  "  Consider  you've 
all  quit.  Now,  that  being  the  case  you  have  heaps 
of  time  on  your  hands  and  are  likely  to  have  for 
an  indefinite  period  unless  you  have  provided 
jobs  for  yourselves  in  anticipation  of  this.  I've 
got  something  I'd  like  to  say  to  you.  Those  who 
don't  want  to  hear  me  don't  have  to.  As  I  said, 
this  is  a  free  country." 

"  Go  ahead,  Jimsy !"  cried  a  voice  in  the  crowd. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  You're  all  right !  You've  always  given  us  a 
square  deal." 

"  I  hope  so,"  he  replied,  "  and  one  square  deal 
deserves  another." 

"  Aw,  come  on,  fellows ! "  admonished  the 
leader.  "  We're  not  kids.  A  strike's  a  strike.  This 
ain't  no  debatin'  bee  and  we  don't  belong  to  no 
mutual  admiration  society." 

Some  of  the  men  turned  away,  but  others 
voiced  the  view  that  a  hearing  ought  to  be  given 
to  the  superintendent,  since  he  wished  to  speak 
to  them,  and  seeing  that  their  fellows  remained 
the  others  soon  returned. 

"  I  haven't  got  a  lot  to  say,  and  I'm  no  preach 
er,"  he  continued.  "  What  I  want  to  give  you  is 
not  a  lecture  on  what  you've  got  to  do — that's 
your  business — but  an  explanation  in  your  in 
terest.  I  want  to  tell  you  things  other  people 
haven't  told  you,  and  that  you  evidently  don't 
know.  Please  let  me  get  through,  then  you  do  as 
you  like.  I  don't  have  to  tell  you  that  the  rate  of 
pay  is  governed,  like  everything  else,  by  the  law 
of  supply  and  demand.  What  is  the  situation  to 
day?  We  have  had  rush  work  for  several  weeks 
and  the  docks  here  and  all  along  the  water  front 

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are  choked  up  with  freight.  But  back  of  this,  al 
though  you  may  not  know  it,  the  railroads  every 
where  are  laying  off  freight  cars,  mills  are  laying 
off  men  and  signs  point  to  a  serious  slump  in 
business  all  over  the  country,  which  will  reach 
here  soon.  The  transportation  contracts  of  this 
company  which,  owing  to  the  congestion  during 
the  past  two  years  had  been  made  in  some  in 
stances  months  ahead,  have  fallen  off,  and  the  in 
dications  are  that  in  the  natural  course  of  things 
during  the  coming  winter  there  won't  be  work  for 
more  than  half  of  you,  and  that  you'll  need  badly 
all  the  spare  coin  you  can  save  now.  Yet  you 
chose  this  very  time  to  demand  an  increase  from 
the  company  and  give  it  eighteen  hours'  notice — 
including  twelve  non-working  hours — in  which  to 
think  it  over.  I  don't  call  that  a  square  deal, 
whatever  you  may  think  about  it.  Now,  the  coun 
try  towns  are  full  of  men  anxious  to  get  jobs,  and 
the  company,  notwithstanding  the  short  notice, 
is  fully  prepared  for  a  strike.  In  that  shed  yonder 
are  three  thousand  cots,  put  there  during  last 
night,  and  provision  has  been  made  to  feed  three 
thousand  men  for  several  days.  Captain  Will 
iams " 

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An  outburst  of  curses  and  yells  greeted  this 
mention  of  the  president's  name  with  cries  of 
"  We  know  Williams  !  " 

"  Captain  Williams,"  went  on  the  superintend 
ent,  calmly,  "  says  that  any  man  who  goes  out  on 
strike  now  will  never  enter  the  employ  of  the  line 
again  in  this  or  any  other  port.  And  I'll  see  per 
sonally  to  it  that  he  doesn't.  This  man  here  said 
a  strike  had  been  decided  on,  but  anybody  who 
wants  to  stay  and  work  instead  of  making  a 
fool  of  himself  by  quitting  will  be  taken  care  of, 
I'll  promise  that.  That's  all.  It's  up  to  you." 

Amid  dead  silence  he  got  down  from  the  crate 
and  returned  to  his  office. 

The  men  remained  assembled  for  consultation, 
and  in  the  crowd  were  many  thoughtful  faces.  It 
was  clear  that  Smith's  calm,  drawled  harangue 
had  made  a  profound  impression.  Those  whose 
duties  had  brought  them  into  frequent  contact 
with  their  self-possessed  superior  knew  that  when 
he  said  anything  it  was  so,  and  that  if  he  said  he 
would  do  a  thing  he  did  it.  Just  as  in  private  life 
he  attracted  the  warmest  friendships,  so  in  busi 
ness,  to  which  he  gave  strict  and  intelligent  at- 

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tention,  he  earned  the  respect  of  all  with  whom 
he  had  to  deal. 

The  strike  leader  mounted  the  crate  and, 
amid  the  applause  of  the  hot-headed  and  discon 
tented,  delivered  himself  of  a  fierce  denunciation 
of  the  company  as  a  greedy,  grasping,  oppressive 
corporation,  and  of  its  dock  superintendent  as  a 
"four-flusher"  and  a  dispenser  of  "  con "  talk, 
meaning  thereby  of  words  intended  to  deceive. 
But  there  were  too  many  who  knew  that  Smith 
was  neither.  One  of  the  laborers  whose  views 
had  undergone  considerable  modification  with 
the  realization  that  the  threat  of  a  strike  had 
failed  in  its  object  of  procuring  an  immediate  ad 
vance  of  pay,  and  who  had  been  further  influ 
enced  by  the  superintendent's  plain  speaking,  de 
cided  the  matter  with  a  proposition  that  enabled 
everybody  to  make  a  decision  in  accordance  with 
his  secret  inclination. 

"  For  my  part,"  he  said,  "  I've  got  a  wife  and 
six  kids,  the  eldest  of  which  is  nine.  I  move  that 
we  take  another  vote  on  this  here  strike." 

The  motion  was  adopted  with  acclamation. 
The  result  of  the  ballot  was  overwhelmingly  in 
favor  of  remaining-  at  work. 

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While  delegates  appointed  to  inform  the  super 
intendent  that  there  would  be  no  turnout  were 
waiting  upon  him  in  his  office,  the  other  men 
went  back  to  work.  On  their  way  a  few  of  them 
passed  the  shed  indicated  by  Smith,  which 
had  remained  closed,  guarded  by  a  watchman,  all 
the  morning.  They  pushed  open  the  door  and 
gazed  in,  while  others  crowded  up  behind  them. 
Arranged  all  around  the  vast  space  were  neat, 
white  cots,  and  in  the  centre  were  long  tables  and 
benches. 

"  Say,"  remarked  one  of  the  men.  "  Jimsy 
Smith  ain't  no  bluff,  is  he?  For  a  slow-speakin' 
and  movin'  man  he's  the  liveliest  hustler  I  ever 
seen." 

Half  an  hour  later  Smith  once  more  lowered 
himself  into  the  chair  beside  the  president's  desk. 
During  the  entire  morning  he  had  refused  to  re 
spond  personally  to  telephone  calls,  and  when  the 
delegates  of  the  men  had  left  he  had  instructed  a 
subordinate  to  apprise  the  head  of  the  line  that 
the  strike  was  off. 

"Well,"  said  Capt.  Williams,  gruffly,  "I  un 
derstand  the  strike's  off." 

"  Yep,"  was  the  reply. 
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"How  did  you  do  it?" 

"  Told  'em  the  truth." 

The  Captain  regarded  him  from  under  his 
bushy  eyebrows,  brought  together  in  his  usual 
frown. 

"  I  guess  you  don't  often  lie,  Smith." 

"  Not  more  than  I  have  to." 

"  What  preparations  had  you  made  for 
trouble?" 

"  Three  thousand  hired  army  cots  in  No.  2  shed, 
with  tables  and  benches.  Then  there's  these." 

He  laid  before  the  president  a  number  of  bids 
for  supplying  rations  three  times  a  day  to  from 
500  to  3,000  men,  and  telegrams  from  various 
towns  worded  something  to  this  effect : 

On  terms  offered  can  ship  two  hundred  men  within 
forty-eight  hours. 

Williams  read  each  paper  carefully. 

"  A  strike  at  this  time  would  have  meant  heavy 
loss  to  the  line,"  he  observed. 

Smith  nodded. 

Then  the  Captain  gave  utterance  to  the  highest 
compliment  he  had  ever  made  to  a  man  in  his  life. 

"  I  put  it  up  to  you,"  he  said,  "  and  you've 
made  good.  I  guessed  it  was  likely  you  would. 

Have  a  cigar." 

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CHAPTER  VIII 

ALTHOUGH  Capt.  Williams  had  assured 
Mrs.  Brooks  that  he  would  bear  them  no 
grudge  because  of  her  husband's  attack 
upon  him,  he  did  not  return  again  to  the  little 
flat,  and  it  was  some  time  before  Mrs.  Harris  and 
Beth  favored  them  with  another  visit.  But  this 
did  not  trouble  the  young  couple  a  bit.  Com 
mencing  on  that  night  when  he  had  insisted  on 
taking  his  wife  to  a  place  of  amusement,  Joe's 
conduct  toward  her  had  undergone  a  complete 
change.  Instead  of  returning  home  depressed 
and  irritable  he  was  nearly  always  in  good  humor 
and  affectionately  considerate.  They  needed  no 
other  company  than  their  own,  and  occasionally 
Jimsy's. 

The  happy  transformation  had  been  brought 
about  by  an  unexpected  bit  of  luck.  As  Joe  ex 
plained  it  to  his  delighted  wife,  in  his  capacity  of 
collector  he  had  become  very  friendly  with  the 
of  a  concern  which  transacted  business 
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with  the  steamship  company,  and  this  gentleman 
had  offered  him  ten  dollars  a  week  to  render,  when 
required,  certain  little  services  in  the  matter  of 
collections,  which  he  was  able  to  do  without  inter 
fering  to  any  extent  with  the  duties  the  Latin- 
American  line  paid  him  for  performing.  It 
was  just  the  amount  of  the  advance  he  had  asked 
for  and  which  Capt.  Williams  had  refused  to 
give  him,  and  it  represented  the  difference  be 
tween  very  painful  sparing  and  comparative  ease. 
And  that  was  not  all.  One  thing  leading  to  an 
other,  Joe  was  enabled  now  and  then  to  earn  an 
extra  five  or  ten  dollars  from  other  sources. 

With  this  prosperous  turn  in  his  affairs  the 
self-confidence  and  assurance  that  long  had  aban 
doned  him  under  his  repeated  disappointments 
and  failure  to  make  headway  returned.  Morose 
supineness  gave  way  to  vim  and  energy.  The  old 
optimism,  which  had  caused  him  to  build  air  cas 
tles  with  such  confidence  that  their  early  con 
densation  into  tangible,  solid  reality  had  been 
looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  course  by  his  wife  as 
well  as  himself,  had  revived  in  most  extravagant 
form.  He  waxed  excited  and  voluble  in  discussing 
with  Emma  their  plans  for  the  present  and  the 

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future — especially  the  future.  He  was  convinced 
that  his  luck  had  changed  and  would  carry  him  on 
and  upward  unchecked  to  the  attainment  of  that 
opulence  which  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  he 
had  believed  would  be  assured  to  him  sooner  or 
later  by  his  union  with  the  elder  daughter  of  Mr. 
Harris.  He  began  to  be  interested  in  the  price  of 
real  estate  and  automobiles. 

His  wife,  with  the  sobering  recollection  of  the 
gulf  between  talk  and  achievement,  of  desire  and 
possession,  was  careful  to  build  no  hopes  upon 
these  fabrics  of  vision,  though  she  was  too  wise 
to  seek  to  restrain  the  ardor  of  his  imagination, 
knowing  from  experience  that  any  reminder  as 
to  the  advisability  of  not  counting  chickens  bt- 
fore  they  were  hatched  or  as  to  the  wisdom  of 
not  laying  up  a  store  of  possible  disappointment 
by  too  sanguine  expectation  would  annoy  him 
and  be  impatiently  received.  She  did,  however, 
take  with  gratitude  what  the  gods  had  given, 
pending  the  bestowal  of  possibly  greater  favors. 
The  substantial  addition  to  their  means  enabled 
her  to  hire  a  woman  who  (when  she  felt  like  it) 
did  the  dirtier  work  of  the  household  that  had 
been  such  a  tax  upon  her.  Little  toilet  necessi- 

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ties  and  accessories  made  their  appearance.  By 
degrees  the  griminess  impregnated  by  kitchen 
grease  and  polishing  materials  and  burned  in  by 
the  handling  of  hot  stove-lifters  departed  from 
her  fingers.  Brooks,  when  he  had  made  an  ex 
tra  good  week,  insisted  on  lavishing  his  addi 
tional  earnings  upon  her.  New  and  suitable 
clothing  restored  her  self-respect  and  the  pleas 
ure  that  every  woman  feels,  or  should  feel,  in 
making  herself  attractive. 

Mrs.  Harris  and  Beth  could  not  fail  to  notice 
the  change,  and  it  had  a  gradual  but  marked  ef 
fect  on  their  attitude  towards  Brooks,  which  be 
came  more  civil  and  cordial.  Emma  declined  to 
gratify  their  inquisitiveness  beyond  admitting 
that  Joe  was  "  getting  on."  To  all  leading  ques 
tions  she  returned  evasive  answers,  one  reason 
being  that  deep  resentment  rankled  in  the  heart 
of  her  husband  for  the  lofty  disdain  under  which 
he  had  suffered  for  so  long,  and  that  he  objected 
emphatically  to  the  revelation  of  their  private  af 
fairs  to  anybody,  even  to  Jimsy.  Besides,  as  he 
had  pointed  out,  it  would  not  be  to  their  interest 
for  the  intelligence  that  he  was  doing  outside 
work  to  reach  Capt.  Williams's  ears  Some 

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day  an  offer  of  a  position  in  one  of  these  other 
concerns  might  be  made  to  him,  which  would 
enable  him  to  throw  up  his  job  with  the  steam 
ship  company  or  to  force  Williams  to  bid  to  re 
tain  his  services.  Meanwhile,  if  it  were  known 
that  he  was  doubling  up  the  work  of  the  company 
with  other  employment,  he  would  either  be 
dropped  or  so  much  would  be  given  to  him  to  do 
that  there  would  be  no  time  in  which  to  devote 
his  energies  so  lucratively  elsewhere.  The  force 
of  this  could  not  fail  to  be  seen  by  Mrs.  Brooks, 
and,  thus  placed  on  her  guard,  she  was  all  dis 
cretion. 

Soon  Joe  was  doing  so  well  that  they  decided 
to  take  a  larger  flat  and  engage  a  regular  ser 
vant.  The  latter  resolution  proved  a  good  deal 
harder  to  carry  out  than  the  former.  Mrs. 
Brooks  soon  found  that  the  women  and  girls  who 
condescended  to  seek  a  place  for  housework  fell 
very  far  short  of  her  idea  of  what  a  general  ser 
vant  should  be.  Whether  she  answered  advertise 
ments  or  inserted  them  herself,  or  whether  she 
applied  to  registry  offices,  she  found  that  her 
choice  was  restricted  to  old  women  who  de 
scribed  themselves  as  of  middle  age,  were  af- 

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flicted  with  infirmities,  or  unendurable  (evert 
when  not  alarming)  eccentricities,  and  abhorred 
work;  or  young  persons  of  various  nationalities 
who  had  acquired  an  utterly  preposterous  con 
ception  of  the  value  of  their  services  in  this  land  of 
liberty,  combined  laziness  and  insolence  with  in 
competence,  and  demanded  all  their  Sundays  off 
in  addition  to  two  or  three  nights  during  the 
week — among  other  rights  and  privileges. 

With  these  trials  in  the  matters  of  domestic 
service  so  familiar  to  families  of  limited  incomes 
in  New  York,  the  larger  flat  became  a  serious 
burden,  for  they  were  more  often  without  a  ser 
vant  than  with  one,  and  when  by  resorting  to 
bribes  and  hypocritical  flattery  they  did  persuade 
one  to  remain  longer  than  two  or  three  weeks 
she  was  a  source  of  constant  preoccupation  and! 
worry.  The  situation  was  becoming  desperate, 
and  the  disgust  of  both  Brooks  and  his  wife  seri 
ously  menaced  the  happiness  of  the  menage  when, 
another  piece  of  luck  came  to  Joe,  so  unlocked 
for,  in  form  so  amazingly  substantial,  that  it  al 
most  made  Emma  crazy  with  joy. 

Looking  out  of  the  window  about  supper  time, 
and  wishing  that  her  husband  would  come,  she 

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noticed  a  cab  drive  up  to  the  door,  and  to  her 
surprise  saw  her  husband  leap  out  of  it.  He 
bounded  up  the  stairs,  two  at  a  time,  brushed  past 
her  through  the  door  she  had  opened,  and, 
breathless  with  excitement,  emptied  from  his 
pockets  on  to  the  table  a  heap  of  notes  and  gold. 
Then  he  seized  hold  of  her  and  forcibly  waltzed 
her  around  the  room. 

Finally  he  sat  her,  panting-  and  bewildered,  in  a 
chair  and  pushed  the  money  toward  her. 

"  There,  little  woman,"  he  gasped,  "  that's  for 
you — all  of  it — every  penny  of  it !  " 

When  he  had  calmed  down  sufficiently  he  en 
tered  into  explanations. 

"  You  know  that  three  days  ago  when  Jimsy 
started  on  that  trip  of  inspection  to  our  South 
American  ports  of  call,  Williams  went,  too,  and 
that  they  are  t©  be  gone  for  two  or  three 
months  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Well,  I'll  give  you  a  million  chances  and 
you'll  never  come  near  guessing  the  decent  thing 
Williams  did.  He  recognized  my  services  to  the 
company  at  last  by  promoting  me  to  head  a  new 
exchange  and  collection  department  with  a  salary 


PAID    IN    FULL 

of  three  hundred  dollars  a  month,  the  rise  to  date 
from  six  months  back.  Here's  the  six  months' 
back  pay — thirteen  hundred  and  twenty  dollars." 

It  was  Emma's  turn  to  get  up  and  waltz  when 
she  had  recovered  somewhat  from  her  astonish 
ment.  Here  was  steady,  regular  wealth  that 
would  enable  her  to  realize  some  of  her  cherished 
ambitions. 

They  decided,  at  her  suggestion,  to  celebrate 
their  good  fortune  forthwith  by  a  banquet  royal 
for  two  at  one  of  the  fashionable  restaurants. 
Hastily  she  donned  her  prettiest  costume,  and 
they  set  out.  Never  had  she  been  so  vivacious, 
never  more  charming.  She  was  now  as  talkative 
and  wildly  optimistic  as  he  had  been,  and  they 
sat  eagerly  discussing  their  plans  long  after  the 
musicians  who  discoursed  more  or  less  sweet 
music  during  the  dinner  limit  had  laid  aside  their 
instruments. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  joyfully,  "  you'll  be  able  to 
get  a  dress  suit  and  I  can  have  a  piano." 

The  lack  of  a  piano  always  had  been  cause  for 
keen  regret. 

Then  she  began  to  consider  how  they  might 
five  more  comfortably  than  they  had  been  doing. 
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Joe  proposed  that  they  should  avoid  the  house 
keeping  and  servant  problems  altogether  by  liv 
ing  in  an  apartment  hotel.  He  thought  this  would 
be  within  their  means  if  they  furnished  the  apart 
ment  themselves.  He  pointed  out  that  they 
would  need  neither  dining  room  nor  kitchen,  and 
this  being  the  case  a  bedroom  and  a  parlor  would 
be  ample  for  their  comfort,  which  would  be  fully 
assured  by  the  hotel  service.  He  did  not  think  it 
would  cost  more  than  living  in  a  flat.  Emma  fell 
in  with  this  view  with  eager  enthusiasm. 

Investigation  proved  the  plan  a  little  more  ex 
pensive  than  they  had  bargained  for,  but  they 
had  what  appeared  to  Emma  to  be  a  fabulous  sum 
of  money  on  hand,  and  they  found  an  apartment 
which  so  pleased  them  in  a  hotel  where  the  ar 
rangements  appeared  to  be  so  satisfactory  that 
they  decided  to  take  it. 

Then  F-mma,  with  a  light  heart  and  a  full  purse 
—which,  however,  did  not  remain  long  in  its 
bulging  condition — experienced  for  the  first  time 
the  unalloyed  felicity  of  shopping  to  her  heart's 
;  and  the  tangible  result  of  her  peregrina- 
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tions  through  all — every  one — of  the  great  em- 
poiiiims  for  which  New  York  is  famous  was  a 
charmingly  furnished  nest,  conspicuous  among 
the  objects  in  which  was  her  coveted  piano. 


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AT  the  end  of  the  first  month  passed  in  their 
new  home  Mrs.  Brooks's  joy  in  the  sud 
den  and  great  change  in  her  husband's 
fortunes  in  the  steamship  company  remained  un- 
diminished.  Not  only  had  the  change  raised 
thetr  at  once  to  a  position  of  dignity,  with  a  good 
deal  of  the  luxury  she  had  been  used  to  as  a  girl, 
but  it  meant  that  Joe's  future  was  assured.  Thus 
had  his  day  dreaming  and  confidence  in  himself 
been  justified,  and  she  freely  acknowledged  the 
fact.  Her  mother,  Mrs.  Harris,  had  come  to  look 
upon  him  with  great  respect  and  to  be  rather 
proud  of  her  son-in-law,  who  had  belied  her  dire 
prognostications  and  upset  all  her  firmly  rooted 
ideas  and  convictions  by  rising  in  the  world. 

As  to  Brooks  himself,  the  exuberance  of  his 
optimism  had  worn  off  considerably.  He  did  not 
share  to  any  extent  in  the  light-heartedness  of  his 
wife,  who  diffused  happiness  and  rippled  it  in 
joyous  music  on  the  piano  and  in  songs  that  had 
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smoothed  out  the  creases  of  care  on  her  father's 
brow  when  she  sang-  to  him  in  the  days  of  her 
girlhood.  He  had  become  more  and  more 
thoughtful,  with  lapses  at  unexpected  times  into 
absent  mindedness.  Moreover,  of  late  symptoms 
of  his  former  ill  humor  and  nervous  irritability 
had  reappeared.  His  wife  attributed  it  to  the 
cares  that  go  with  all  positions  of  serious  re 
sponsibility  requiring  the  exercise  of  much  ex 
ecutive  ability.  She  told  herself  that  he  would  be 
all  right  when  he  had  grown  accustomed  to  the 
strain. 

"  Goodness,  Emma,  one  would  hardly  know 
you!"  exclaimed  Beth  to  her  one  evening  after 
dinner,  to  which  Mrs.  Brooks  had  invited  her 
mother  and  sister.  "  Your  dress  is  a  dream,  and 
at  table  you  were  positively  radiant." 

She  had  followed  Emma  into  her  bedroom  and 
was  gazing  in  admiration  at  her  sparkling  eyes 
and  her  cheeks  rosy  with  health. 

"  I  am  happy,"  admitted  Emma,  putting  her 
arm  round  her  affectionately. 

"  Do  you  know,  dearie,  I'm  just  beginning  to 
know  who  and  what  you  are  ?  " 

Highly  amused  at  the  girl's  patronizing1  man- 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

ner  and  not  at  all  inclined  to  take  her  seriously, 
Emma  looked  at  her  with  assumed  gravity. 

"  How's  that,  little  sister?  "  she  inquired. 

"  Please  don't  call  me  'little  sister,'  "  objected 
Beth. 

"Well,  aren't  you  my  little  sister?" 

"I'm  not  large,  that's  true;  but  little  in  the 
way  you  use  it  implies  excessive  youth,  lack  of 
development,  immaturity  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing." 

Emma  threw  up  her  hands. 

"  Great  heavens,  Beth !  One  would  think  you 
were  from  Back  Bay,  instead  of  Harlem,  to  hear 
you  talk." 

"You're  always  making  fun  of  me,"  com* 
plained  the  girl,  with  a  pout. 

"  My  dear  Beth,  it  is  you  who  are  always  mak 
ing  fun  of  yourself,"  Emma  told  her. 

"Indeed,  I'm  not!" 

"  Why  not  laugh  and  play,  and  just  be  a  girl — * 
a  real  ''tomboy  ? '  After  all,  that's  the  thing.  You 
are  only  eighteen,  while  I  have  reached  years  of 
discretion.  I'm  twenty-five,  you  know,  and 
awfully  staid  and  wise  in  consequence  " 

"  You  weren't  a  tomboy." 

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"  Oh,  yes  I  was,  until  I  fell  in  love.  You  were 
a  wee  bit  of  a  little  maid  then — and  after  I  fell  in 
love — I  became  a  silly  little  goose  like  all  girls 
in  love,  and  then " 

"  You  married  Joe." 

"  Yes,"  said  Emma,  seriously,  "  and  that's  why 
I  want  you  to  have  such  a  good  time  now,  while 
you  can.  Of  course,  I  hope  you'll  not  have  the 
hard  pull  that  Joe  and  I  have  had — I  mean  when 
you  are  married — tout  one  never  can  tell." 

"  Never  mind  the  past  now,  Emma.  Think 
how  happy  you  are." 

"  I  know.  It  is  good  to  be  living  once  again, 
but  the  best  of  it  all  is  that  Joe  has  succeeded. 
Joe  has  succeeded ;  even  mother  admits  it.  Think 
of  it!" 

"  She  even  likes  him,"  confided  Beth. 

"  My  dear,  you  know  that  mother  likes  most 
anyone  who  has  healthy  indications  of  a  bank  ac 
count." 

"Emma,"  chided  the  girl,  "you  ought  to  b« 
ashamed ! " 

"  I'm  not,"  laughed  her  sister.  "  I'm  too  eon- 
tented.  I  don't  think  that  I  shall  ever  forget  the 
night — nearly  seven  weeks  ago — when  Joe  came 
1 06 


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home  with  the  good  news,  his  salary  more  than 
tripled  and  six  months'  back  pay." 

"Joe  never  thought  Captain  Williams  would 
do  it  for  him." 

"  No,  nor  I.  And  the  way  it  was  done !  You 
know  the  Captain  and  Jimsy  had  been  gone  three 
days  before  Joe  knew  the  good  news." 

"When  are  they  coming  back?  Not  for  a 
month,  anyway." 

"Joe  says  he  doesn't  know." 

"  Isn't  it  funny  that  with  all  his  luck  he  doesn't 
seem  contented?" 

Emma  became  grave. 

"  He's  worried,  poor  dear,  and  I  can't  make  it 
out,"  she  said.  "  Perhaps  he's  so  anxious  to  suc 
ceed  in  his  new  position." 

"Well,  anyway,  Emma,  it's  all  simply  great 
for  you,  isn't  it?" 

,  "  A  new  lease  of  life,"  she  avowed,  with  a 
happy  sigh.  "  Just  like  beginning  all  over  again. 
Come  on;  we  had  better  be  going  into  the 
parlor." 

In  the  parlor  Mrs.  Harris  sat  fanning  herself, 
for  it  was  a  very  warm  day.    She  was  dressed  in 
a  gown  of  summer  finery  that  would  have  been 
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more  suitable  to  her  had  she  been,  say,  fifteen 
years  younger,  and  she  was  engaged  in  her  usual 
pleasant  occupation  of  criticising — or  "  knock 
ing,"  as  Joe  called  it — which  she  felt  fully  priv 
ileged  to  do  by  reason  of  her  relationship  as 
mother  and  mother-in-law. 

Brooks  had  snatched  up  an  evening  paper 
which  had  just  been  brought  in  and  which  he  un 
folded  as  he  sank  into  an  armchair.  He  was  in 
dinner  coat  and  bore  other  external  evidences  of 
his  prosperity,  which,  however,  was  being  pur 
chased  at  considerable  physical  cost,  for  he  had 
become  thinner,  and  was  pale  and  haggard.  The 
worry  his  new  position  occasioned  him  was  plain 
to  be  seen.  An  executive  post  in  the  central  of 
fice  of  the  Latin-American  Steamship  Company 
clearly  was  no  sinecure.  Whether  it  was  the  heat 
or  whether  it  was  the  presence  and  remarks  of 
his  mother-in-law,  dislike  of  whom  he  could  not 
get  over,  notwithstanding  her  change  of  attitude 
from  undisguised  contempt  to  patronizing  tolera 
tion,  certain  it  is  that  he  was  in  an  execrably  surly 
mood  and  as  nervous  as  the  proverbial  cat. 

"As  I  was  saying  to  Joe,"  observed  Mrs. 
Harris, turningto  Emma  and  Beth,"  for  a  hotel  of 
1 08 


'MOTHER,  DEAR,  PLEASE  DON'T  FIND  FAULT." 


Page  109. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

this  character  the  coffee  is  not  what  it  might  tx,. 

"No?  What's  the  matter  with  it?"  queried 
Emma. 

"  It's  terribly  bitter." 

"  Mother  doesn't  care  for  it  so  strong,"  ex 
plained  Beth. 

"  Otherwise,"  acknowledged  Mrs.  Harris,  "  I 
liked  the  dinner.  Yes,  on  the  whole,  I  liked  the 
dinner.  But  if  I  were  you,  Joe,  I'd  complain 
about  your  waiter." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  him?  "  asked  Emma. 

"  Rather  impertinent  and " 

"That  waiter  suits  me  and  I  haven't  heard 
Emma  kicking,"  cut  in  Joe. 

But  Mrs.  Harris  was  n.ot  to  be  suppressed  by 
any  snubbing  from  him. 

"  Still,"  she  persisted,  "  I  think  for  the  money 
you  are  paying  here " 

"  For  the  money  I  am  paying  here,"  he  re 
torted,  slapping  down  the  paper,  "  I'm  satisfied. 
It  seems  to  me  that  that  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

"  Mother,  dear,  please  don't  find  fault,"  urged 
Emma.  "  It  is  all  so  much  better  than  it  has 
been.  I  think  you  should  be  very  happy  to  see 
things  as  they  are." 

109 


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"  So  much  better  than  Emma's  had  for  so 
long,"  chimed  in  Beth. 

Brooks  scowled  at  her  and,  gathering  up  some 
more  papers  from  the  table,  retreated  with  them1 
to  his  chair  and  began  to  peruse  them  rather 
feverishly. 

"  I  never  read  the  papers  any  more,"  declared 
Mrs.  Harris.  "  All  they  have  is  scandal,  murders 
and  men  who  steal  money  from  their  firms. 
My-—I  don't  know  what  the  world  is  coming  to." 

"  Wasn't  it  terrible  about  that  man  yesterday 
walking  out  of  the  bank  with  a  small  fortune?" 
said  Beth. 

"  I  can't  understand  how  a  man  can  deliber 
ately  steal,"  sniffed  her  mother,  "  especially  when 
there  isn't  a  chance  on  earth  of  getting  away." 

"  He's  the  man  who  gave  all  the  money  to 
some  woman,  isn't  he?"  Emma  wanted  to  know. 

"  Yes.  He'll  have  plenty  of  time  to  think  it 
over — the  penitentiary  isn't  a  bit  too  good  for 
men  like  him." 

"  I  felt  so  sorry  for  his  wife,  poor  woman," 
remarked  Beth.  "  She'll  have  to  stand  most  of 
the  trouble." 

no 


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Brooks  jumped  up  impatiently,  biting-  his  nails 
with  annoyance. 

"Where's  the  rest  of  this  paper?"  he  de 
manded.  "  I  want  the  part  with  the  racing  chart. 
It's  marked  '  Past  Performances.'  " 

"  Oh,  I  know,  what  Jimsy  calls  the  dope 
sheet,"  said  Emma.  "There  it  is." 

Mrs.  Harris  looked  horrified. 

"  Joe,  you  certainly  aren't  interested  in  races — 
horse  races?"  she  interrogated. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  he  snapped.  "  I  don't  play  'em, 
but  I  like  to  look  'em  over.  What  of  it?  " 

"They're  awful,"  declared  Beth.  "That's 
exactly  why  most  men  steal  money." 

"  Well,  dearie,  Joe  isn't  stealing  money  or  play 
ing  races,  so  don't  get  worried,"  commented 
Emma,  a  little  testily. 

Mrs.  Harris  persisted. 

"  Captain  Williams  says  that  the  race  track 
ruins  more  young  men  and " 

Her  son-in-law  had  been  waxing  more  and 
more  exasperated. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,"  he  broke  otrt  angrily, 
wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  face,  "  can't  yott 
III 


PAID    IN    FULL 

find  something  better  to  talk  about  than  ruined 
men,  thieves,  and  fellows  who  go  wrong?  " 

"Why,  Joe,  what's  the  matter?"  inquired  his 
wife,  gazing  at  him  in  astonishment. 

He  turned  his  wan  face  towards  her,  and  there 
was  a  look  as  of  entreaty  and  apology  in  his  eyes, 
under  which  the  dark  circles  appeared  to  have 
deepened,  as  he  replied : 

"  I'm  tired  and  nervous.  I  think  I'll  walk 
down  the  street." 

"  Oh,  but  you've  got  to  take  us  to  the  theatre," 
Beth  told  him. 

"Who's  going?" 

"  Just  mamma  and  myself." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  us?" 

"  Mother  hasn't  seen  the  play  at  the  Renais 
sance  and  you  can't  get  seats — not  a  single  one — 
even  from  speculators.  I  promised  to  take  her." 

"  Where  do  I  come  in?" 

Mrs.  Harris  answered  for  her: 

"You  just  take  us,  call  for  us  after  the  show 
and  put  us  on  a  car." 

"We  simply  can't  miss  this  chance,  can  we, 
mamma?"  said  Beth. 

112 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  No,"  replied  her  mother,  adding :  "  Besides 
the  seats  are  complimentary." 

"  You  will  take  us  and  come  for  us,  won't  you, 
Joe  ?  "  Beth  insisted. 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  so,"  he  acquiesced,  a  little 
wearily. 

At  that  moment  the  telephone  bell  rang  and 
Emma  answered  it. 

"  Yes,  right  up,"  she  instructed  the  operator, 
and,  hanging  up  the  receiver,  turned  with  an 
eager  smile. 

"  I've  got  a  surprise  for  you,"  she  said. 
"  Guess  who's  calling?  " 

"  Beatrice  Langley,"  answered  Joe  at  a  ven 
ture. 
.    "  That  wouldn't  be  a  surprise." 

"  I'm  glad  she  isn't,"  commented  her  mother. 
"  She's  abominable." 

"  Some  one  who  wasn't  expected  for  a  month," 
prompted  Emma. 

"  Jimsy,"  cried  Beth. 

"  Jimsy  Smith,  straight  back  from  Guatemala." 

Joe's  eyes  widened  and  the  little  color  in  it 
faded  from  his  face.  He  was  very  much  startled 
by  this  unexpected  visit,  but  kept  sufficient  con- 


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trol  over  himself  not  to  make  the  fatsfc  too 
apparent. 

"  Is  Captain  Williams  with  him  ?  "  inquired 
Mrs.  Harris. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Emma.  "  I  won 
der  what  brings  him  back?  He  wasn't  expected 
for  a  month  or  six  weeks." 

"  I  suppose  the  Captain's  with  him,"  surmised 
Beth. 

Her  mother  expressed  the  hope  that  he  was. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Emma.  "  I  want  to  thank  him 
for  Joe's  raise." 

"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind!"  exploded 
Brooks  furiously.  "  I  want  you  all  to  under 
stand  here  and  now  that  my  business  is  my  busi 
ness.  I  don't  want  it  discussed  with  either  Smith! 
or  Williams.  What  I've  got  I've  got,  and  it  is 
nobody's  affair  but  mine.  Now,  if  any  of  you 
have  got  anything  to  say  about  me  or  what  I  do, 
say  it  to  me  or  shut  up." 

"  Joe,  how  can  you  ? "  reproached  his  wife, 
taken  completely  aback  by  this  savage  and  un 
called  for  display  of  anger. 

"Well,  I  declare!"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Harris, 
114 


PAID    IN    FULL 

bridling  up.     "  I've  never  been  talked  to  so  in  all 
my  life  and " 

The  doorbell  rang  and  she  subsided,  sinking 
back  in  her  chair  and  fanning  her  red  face  vigor 
ously. 

Mrs.  Brooks  opened  the  door  and  Jimsy  stood 
revealed  with  his  winsome  smile,  his  face  tanned 
brown  by  the  sun  of  the  tropics. 

"  Welcome  home,  little  stranger,"  exclaimed 
Emma  heartily. 

"  Hello !  Emma,  how  are  you,"  he  said,  taking 
her  outstretched  hancj.  "  Ladies,  I  salute  you. 
The  prodigal  has  returned  from  the  distant  land 
of  Chili  Con  Carni,  and  fat  ladies  wearing  man- 
telas,  to  receive  his  overdose  of  American  grub." 
-  "Look  at  him,  he's  as  brown  as  an  Indian!" 
laughed  Beth,  giving  him  a  cordial  handshake. 

"  Where's  Captain  Williams  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Harris. 

"All  in  due  time,  when  I  spin  my  yarn," 
Jdrawled  Jimsy. 

He  went  over  to  Brooks  and  shook  hands  with 
him. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Joe,"  he  said. 
"5 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Thank  you,  Jimsy,  same  to  you.  You  look 
immense." 

"  I'm  better  than  that.  Now,  if  you  folks  will 
sit  down  I'll  tell  you  the  story  of  my  wonderful 
adventures,  lying  only  when  necessary  to  protect 
my  unsullied  reputation.  How  is  that,  Beth, 
'  unsullied  reputation  ?  '  Pretty  good,  eh  ?  " 

"  Unsullied  is  all  right,  Jimsy,"  approved  the 
girl,  patronizingly. 

"  I  thought  so.  I'm  getting  almost  educated," 
he  commented,  with  a  wink  at  Joe. 

"  But  Captain  Williams  and  the  story  ?  "  urged 
Emma. 

"  What  I  want  to  know,"  observed  her  mother, 
"  is,  did  the  Captain  come  with  you?" 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Brooks  with  hardly  concealed 
anxiety. 

"  Well,  you  know  it  took  me  two  months  to  do 
all  this,  and  you  can't  expect  me  to  tell  this  story 
as  if  it  was  a  journey  in  the  subway." 

"Jimsy,  you're  exasperating,"  remonstrated 
Emma. 

"  I  was  saying Say,  Emma,  you  look  all 

right  in  that  dress,"  he  broke  off,  contemplating 
her  with  admiration. 

116 


PAID    IN    FULL 

She  stamped  her  foot  imperiously. 

"  Never  mind  me,  talk !  " 

"  And  please  say  something,"  added  Beth. 

"Stung!"  he  laughed.  "Thank  you,  Beth! 
Well,  you  know  Cap  and  I  were  going  to  make 
a  trip  at  every  port  of  call  the  Latin-American 
Company  has,  but  when  we  got  to  Guatemala  we 
found  out  that  a  couple  of  those  dons  down  there^ 
being  out  of  jobs,  had  concluded  to  pass  the  time 
away  by  pulling  off  one  of  their  monthly  revolu 
tions,  and,  among  other  things,  were  getting  very 
gay  with  our  property." 

"  You  mean  war?"  demanded  Beth,  deeply  in 
terested. 

"  Not  according  to  Hoyle.  This  game  was 
just  for  conversation.  Anyway,  things  looked  a 
little  bad,  so  we  stayed  there  until  one  of  the 
dons  threatened  to  put  us  in  jail  and  burn  up  our 
warehouses." 

"How  dared  they?"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Harris 
indignantly. 

"  I  said  they  just  threatened.  Anyway,  we 
were  delayed  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  one  morn 
ing  the  army  of  forty-two  generals  and  three 
privates  saw  the  United  States  cruiser  Brooklyn 
117 


PAID     IN    FULL 

•steam  into  port,  all  painted  up,  with  a  lot  of 
peevish  bluejackets  on  board,  looking  for  trouble. 
So  they  postponed  their  change  of  government 
indefinitely.  We  had  been  delayed  so  long  by 
them  fellows " 

"Jimsy,"  objected  Beth.  "Don't  call  them 
*  them  fellows.' " 

"No?" 

"  No.     Say  '  those  fellows.'  " 

"  Well,  Beth,  I've  known  those  greasers  down 
there  for  fourteen  years  as  '  them  fellows/  and  if 
I  called  them  anything  else  I'm  afraid  I'd  have 
to  be  introduced  again." 

"  But  Captain  Williams?  "  insisted  Mrs.  Harris. 

"Yes,  where  is  he?"  said  Brooks. 

Smith  regarded  them  calmly. 

"  You  folks  all  remind  me  of  the  way  I  read  a. 
book — turning  over  to  the  last  page  to  see  how  it 
comes  out,"  he  remarked. 

"Jimsy,  stop  teasing,"  commanded  Emma. 

"  I  accept  the  calldown,"  he  said  resignedly, 
with  a  bow.  "  Well,  we  decided  to  come  home. 
Captain  left  on  a  steamer  by  the  way  of  New 
Orleans,  and  a  couple  of  days  later  I  came  direct 
to  New  York." 

118 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"Then  he  is  here?"  said  Mrs.  Harris  in  a  tone 
of  gratification. 

"  I  suppose  he  is,  unless  he  was  shipwrecked 
on  the  way." 

"  But  you  haven't  told  us  anything-  about  the 
war,"  Beth  reminded  him.  "W:as  it  exciting?" 

"  Yes,  tell  us  about  it,"  urged  her  mother. 

"  Well,  as  the  only  things  that  were  shot  off 
were  several  hundred  mouths,  and  as  I'm  a  bad 
hand  at  repeating  conversations  I  will  have  to 
leave  the  details  to  your  imaginations." 

"  I  consider  that  a  most  uninteresting  story," 
pouted  Beth,  "  and,  besides,  you're  keeping  us 
from  the  theatre." 

"All  going?"  queried  Smith. 

"  No,  just  Beth  and  me,"  explained  Mrs.  Har 
ris.  "  Emma  and  Joe  have  seen  the  play  and 
we've  got  the  last  two  seats." 

"Want  me  to  tag  along?" 

"  Well,  Joe  has  undertaken  to  escort  us  over 
and  after  the  show  put  us  on  the  car,"  demurred 
Beth. 

"  You  can  do  that,  Jimsy,  if  you  want,"  said 
Brooks. 

119 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Take  me  or  leave  me,  just  as  you  please,"  was 
Smith's  good  humored  offer. 

"We  won't  trouble  you,  so  I  guess  it's  leave 
you,"  decided  Beth. 

Emma  accompanied  her  mother  and  sister  to 
her  bedroom  to  help  them  don  their  hats. 

When  the  door  had  closed  upon  them  Smith's 
attitude  changed  entirely.  The  smile  vanished 
from  his  face,  and  he  went  over  to  Brooks  and 
placed  both  hands  on  his  shoulders. 

"Joe,  you're  found  out,"  he  announced. 

"How  found  out?"  demanded  Brooks,  jump 
ing  up  and  facing  him,  very  white. 

"  The  money  you've  taken." 

"  If  you  say  I've  taken  money,  you're  a  liar ! " 
retorted  Brooks,  with  an  attempt  at  fierce  indig 
nation.  But  the  words  came  falteringly  between 
his  blue,  parched  lips. 

"Joe,  Joe,"  rebuked  his  friend  sternly,  "this 
ain't  no  time  to  fourflush  with  me.  I'm  your 
friend  and  you  need  one  now,  boy.  Besides, 
there's  Emma  to  think  of." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  he  protested 
in  a  choking  voice. 

"That  story  of  a  revolution  was  a  lie,"  ex- 
120 


"JOE,  JOE,  THIS  AIN'T  NO  TIME  TO  FOUR-FLUSH  WITH  ME." 


Page  130. 


plained  Smith.  "  Williams  has  been  home  three 
days.  He  has  had  the  books  looked  over  at 
night.  He  seemed  to  know  what  you  were  doing 
from  the  time  you  took  the  first  dollar.  I've 
reason  to  think  he  went  away  simply  to  give  you 
a  free  rein  and  get  even  with  you  for  what  you 
said  to  him  that  night  at  the  flat.  It's  a  darned 
nasty  situation.  Joe,  we've  got  to  pull  together 
now  and  you've  got  to  be  on  the  square  with  me." 

Brooks  sank  limply  into  a  chair  and  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ? "  he  moaned. 

"  Sit  tight  and  saw  wood." 

"  But  they'll  send  me  to  jail,  won't  they  ?  " 
'  "  You  took  that  chance,  Joe,  boy.     But  we  will 
have  to  fight,  and  fight  hard  to  get  you  out  of  it." 

A  flicker  of  hope  came  to  the  wretched  man, 
and  he  looked  up  eagerly. 

"  But  if  I  should  go—" 

"  You  can't  run  away.  You're  watched,"  inter 
rupted  his  friend.  "  Detectives  are  downstairs 
and  if  you  make  a  false  move  they'll  nab  you  and 
spoil  every  chance." 

"Jimsy,   I'm  done,   I  know  I'm  "done!"    he 
121 


PAID    IN    FULL 

talmost  whimpered,  plunged  again  into  the  bot- 
jtommost  depth  of  despair. 

"  Keep  your  nerve.  What  have  you  told 
Emma?" 

"  She  doesn't  know." 

"  Of  course  she  doesn't.  I  mean,  where  did 
you  say  you  got  all  the  money  ?  " 

"  I  told  her  my  salary  was  raised,  and  some 
back  pay " 

"  I'm  on.  Now  brace  up.  You  look  all  in. 
Here  come  the  ladies." 

"They  are  ready,  Joe,"  announced  Mrs. 
Brooks. 

"  Come  on,  my  boy,  and  take  the  family  to  the 
show,"  ordered  Mrs.  Harris. 

"  I'm  ready,"  he  replied,  pulling  himself  to 
gether  with  great  effort.  "Jimsy,  wait  till  I 
come  back." 

"Good-bye,  folks,"  said  Smith.  "Beth,  I'm 
sorry  you've  counted  me  out  as  a  story-teller." 

"  I  haven't,"  she  denied.  "  But  I  don't  think 
you  have  told  it  all." 

Mrs.  Harris  invited  him  to  dine  with  them  on 
the  following  evening,  and  he  promised  to  do  so. 

122 


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Emma  and  Smith  accompanied  them  to  the 
elevator. 

"  Hurry  back,  Joe,"  was  Emma's  injunction  to 
her  husband  as  the  car  disappeared  from  view. 


PAIC 


CHAPTER  X 

TULLY  is  credited  with  being  the  first  td 
remark  what  essayists  have  pointed  out 
ever  since,  that  friendship  improves  har>- 
piness  and  abates  misery  by  the  doubling-  of  our 
joys  and  dividing  of  our  griefs.  This  was  the 
sort  of  friendship  that  animated  Jimsy  Smith. 
His  regard  began  in  love  for  Emma  Harris,  but 
when  he  found  that  this  love  was  not  requited  he 
did  not  for  that  reason  withdraw  his  interest  in 
her.  Accepting  the  cold  reality  with  his  usual 
philosophy,  he  thrust  deep  down  in  his  heart  the 
passion  that  never  could  be  eradicated,  and  his 
sterling,  unflinching  honesty  transformed  it  in 
time  into  a  fraternal  affection  as  self-sacrificing 
as  it  was  loyal,  which  he  extended  to  the  man 
Emma  had  chosen  for  her  life  partner.  With 
his  keen  perception  he  had  soon  seen  that  that 
man  was  morally  weak,  irresolute  of  purpose,  in 
competent  in  business,  and  that  his  love  for  his 
wife  was  not  of  that  kind  which  counted  sacrifice 
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for  her  as  a  privilege,  and  forbearance,  indulgence 
and  unfailing  consideration  for  her  gentler  and 
purer  nature  as  a  duty.  But  it  was  not  for  him 
to  judge  or  to  condemn.  That  Emma  was  satis 
fied  was  sufficient.  No  other  consideration  mat 
tered  a  particle.  And  he  esteemed  himself  happy 
in  being  admitted  to  the  little  household  on  terms 
of  the  intimacy  of  an  elder  brother,  which  he 
fostered  with  a  tact  and  a  discretion  that  were 
perfect.  In  all  the  world  there  was  no  one  else 
he  cared  for,  or  whc  cared  for  him.  He  had  not 
a  single  relative  that  he  knew  of. 

When  Mrs.  Brooks  and  he  re-entered  the 
apartment  and  she  turned  to  him  and  told  him 
that  it  was  good  to  see  him  back,  she  meant  it. 

"  It  is  good  to  me  to  be  back  again,"  he  ad 
mitted,  "  if  only  for  a  few  hours." 

"  Why  a  few  hours,  Jimsy  ?  " 

"  Williams  expects  me  to  take  the  midnight 
train  for  Boston.  There  is  some  legal  tangle 
about  our  dock  lease  there." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  Did  Joe  tell  you  about  our  good 
fortune?  Of  course,  you  can  see  the  change," 
and  she  made  a  gesture  that  took  in  the  whole 
room. 

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**  You  mean  the  raise  in  salary  and  back  pay?  '" 

"Yes — wasn't  it  splendid  of  Captain  Will- 
lams?" 

"  It  certainly  has  agreed  with  you,"  he  re 
sponded  evasively.  "  Never  saw  you  look  so 
well." 

"  Did  the  Captain  tell  you  about  it?  " 

"  No,  he  never  mentioned  it." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Captain  Williams  has  a  habit  of  keeping  a 
whole  lot  to  himself." 

"  It  came  as  a  complete  surprise — at  least  to 
me." 

"  Seems  to  have  done  your  mother  a  whole  lot 
of  good.  She  never  did  shine  up  to  that  Harlem 
flat." 

"  The  change  has  done  her  a  great  deal  of 
good.  She  still  finds  fault,  but " 

"  That's  part  of  her  daily  diet." 

"  She  a  dear,  though.  She  always  did  think 
there  was  nothing  too  good  for  me." 

"That's  the  mother  of  it.  I  guess,  as  a  rule, 
|hey  are  certainly  a  great  institution." 

"  In  all  the  years  I've  known  you,  Jimsy,  you've 
126 


PAID    IN    FULL 

never  spoken  of  your  mother  or  father.  I  sup 
pose  you  don't  care  to." 

An  expression  of  pain  flitted  over  his  face. 

"  No,  it  ain't  pleasant,"  he  confessed. 

Mrs.  Brooks  was  sincerely  sorry  for  her  rather 
thoughtless  remark. 

"  Forgive  me,  Jimsy.  I  wish  I  hadn't  said  that. 
Could  I  help  to  make  it  more  pleasant  ?  I'd  like 
to,"  she  said  sympathetically. 

He  gazed  at  her  with  a  queer  look,  and  for  a 
few  moments  did  not  speak.  He  appeared  to  be 
debating  something  in  his  mind. 

"Well,  you  know,  Emma,"  he  said  at  last,  "a 
lot  of  people  are  pitched  into  this  world  without 
their  knowledge  or  consent  and  when  they  get 
old  enough  to  take  stock  of  what  has  been  left 
'em,  and  what  they've  got,  they  suddenly  find 
themselves  shy  some  very  valuable  assets  in  the 
way  of  name  and  character." 

"  How,  Jimsy — I  mean  with  you  ?  "  she  asked, 
surprised. 

"  I  am  one  of  them  duffers,"  he  avowed  sadly. 
"  My  mother — as  near  as  I  have  been  able  to  find 
out — hiked  out  into  Colorado  when  it  was  a  Ter 
ritory.  There  wasn't  much  law  and  I  guess  no 
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conventionalities.  Everybody  kind  o'  drifted 
along  the  best,  or  the  worst,  they  could,  the 
majority  voting  the  straight  ticket  for  the  worst. 
A  shake  of  the  hand  was  as  good  as  a  bond  and 
there  wasn't  any  law  in  the  land  except  that  be 
tween  man  and  woman.  Some  of  them  out  there: 
yearned  as  much  for  the  sanctity  of  the  marriage 
vows  as  an  Arab  in  the  Sahara  does  for  a  sun 
bath.  It  was  a  loose  country  full  of  loose 
people.  My  mother  fell  in  love  with  a  roving 
miner  and  he  promised  to  marry  her,  but  before 
the  parson  wandered  into  the  camp  to  make  a 
little  loose  change  tying  matrimonial  knots,  pa 
•got  into  an  argument  concerning  alcoholic 
•capacity  and  got  plugged  with  a  .45." 

"Killed?" 

"  Yes.  He  passed  on.  Later  I  was  shoved 
into  the  midst  of  an  unsuspecting  public.  My 
coming  into  the  world  withoflt  the  usual  legal 
credentials  hit  my  poor  mother  awful  hard,  and 
before  I  could  open  my  eyes  she  died.  Then 
there  was  an  awful  argument  about  where  I  be- 
'Jonged." 

"How?" 

""Two  cities  claimed  me.  Denver  said  I  was 
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born  in  Omaha  and  Omaha  blamed  it  on  Denver. 
Those  that  looked  after  me  when  I  was  a  kid  got 
a  little  careless  about  my  education  and  finally 
the  city  of  Denver  adopted  me  as  a  favorite  son. 
Father's  only  known  name  was  Jim ;  I  grabbed  it. 
I  had  to  have  a  last  one  on  the  handle  so  I  chose 
Smith,  feeling  tolerably  certain  it  would  pass  the 
scrutiny  of  an  inquisitive  world  without  raising  a 
storm  of  curiosity." 

He  paused,  then  concluded  with  a  wan  smile : 

"  You  see,  Emma,  I  am  some  shy." 

"  I'm  awfully  sorry,  Jimsy,  but  it  doesn't  make 
a  lot  of  difference,  does  it  ?  "  she  said  consolingly. 

"  No — only  that's  why  I  came  East — the  .West 
ain't  conducive  to  pleasant  recollections." 

"  It's  nothing  you  could  help." 

"  No — I  figure  you  can't  always  blame  people 
for  what  they  can't  help.  If  a  fellow  comes  into 
the  world  shy,  he's  shy,  and  the  chances  are  he's 
doing  the  best  he  can  the  very  time  he  goes  to 
the  bad." 

"How?     In  what  way?" 

"  You  seem  puzzled,"  he  said,  moving  his  chair 
so  that  it  brought  him  squarely  facing  her. 
"Well,  for  instance — out  in  Denver  I  knew  a 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

fellow  who  married  a  girl  who'd  had  pretty  much 
what  she  wanted,  but  he'd  been  in  hard  luck.  It 
was  a  love  match  all  right,  both  parties  being 
clean  foolish  over  each  other.  Well,  he  didn't 
get  on  and  she  had  to  work  pretty  hard.  Finally 
he  thought  her  health  and  spirits  were  about 
busted  up  on  account  of  the  work  and  he  com 
menced  appropriating  other  folks'  money — got 
'way  in,  and  the  harder  he  tried  to  get  out  the 
deeper  he  floundered.  Finally,  the  big  exposure 
came  off.  He  was  a  thief.  Now,  what  do  you 
think  about  him,  Emma?  Do  you  think  because 
he  was  long  on  love  and  short  on  honor  he  was 
all  bad,  eh?" 

She  hesitated,  pondering  the  question  as  some 
thing  so  utterly  beyond  ordinary  cogitation  that 
it  could  not  have  presented  itself  to  her  and  was 
not  to  be  lightly  decided. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  think,"  she  mused. 
"  I've  always  loathed  a  thief  and  a  liar.  I  know 
there's  an  awful  lot  of  dishonesty — in  business. 
Father  always  declared  that  a  man  to  drink  or 
gamble  or  dissipate  might  be  weak,  but  that  a 
man  who  stole,  or  lied  to  injure  people,  was 
vicious.  Somehow,  I  think  that,  too." 
130 


"YOU   ARE   A  GOOD   MAN,    .JIMSY— A  GOOD   MAN." 


Page  131. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Maybe  you're  right,  but  I  wondered  if  you'd 
been  in  his  wife's  place  you'd  sort  of  forgiven  the 
man  and  helped  him  get  right." 

"  Perhaps — I  don't  know,"  she  replied  doubt 
fully.  "  But  I  think  if  anything  like  that  ever 
happened  it  would  almost  kill  me." 

Her  thoughts  were  diverted  from  the  subject 
by  the  ringing  of  the  telephone  bell.  She 
answered  it. 

"  Captain  Williams  calling,"  she  said  to  Smith. 
Then  through  the  'phone : 

"  Ask  the  gentleman  to  come  up,  please." 

Jimsy,  anxious  and  much  troubled,  regarded 
her  thoughtfully. 

She  turned  from  the  telephone  and  advanced 
to  him  holding  out  her  hand.  He  took  it,  hesi 
tatingly  and  wonderingly. 

"  Jimsy,"  she  said  earnestly,  "  I've  never  quite 
understood  you  before." 

"No?"  he  interrogated. 

"  But  after  what  you  told  me  to-night,"  she 
went  on,  "  I've  had  a  little  peek  behind  the  cur 
tains.  You  are  a  good  man,  Jimsy — a  good  man. 
That  means  everything." 

For  the  second  time  in  his  entire  life — the  first 
13* 


PAID    IN    FULL 

having  been  when  he  proposed  to  her — Smith 
displayed  trepidation. 

"  Now,  Emma,  be  careful,"  he  reproved. 
"There  ain't  no  celestial  medals  pinned  on  my 
coat  signifying  an  angelic  career,  and  don't  you 
start  tossing  bouquets  in  my  direction." 

The  doorbell  rang  as  he  settled  himself  in  his 
chair  again. 

"Ah!  there's  the  old  sea  dog,"  said  Mrs. 
Brooks,  hastening  to  let  the  Captain  in. 


PAID    IN    FULL 


G 


CHAPTER  XI 

IOOD   evening,   Mrs.  Brooks,   glad  to  see 
you." 

Capt.  Williams  grasped  her  hand,  as  his 
'eyes  wandered  over  the  comfortable  room,  and  he 
added : 

"  Hello,  Smith !  Meet  you  every  time  I  come 
here." 

"  One  of  my  hangouts,"  agreed  the  superin 
tendent  genially. 

"  Sit  down,  Captain,"  invited  Emma,  motion 
ing  him  to  a  chair. 

"Thanks,"  he  said.  "Where's  your  hus 
band?" 

"  He's  just  gone  out.  He'll  be  back  in  a  little 
while.  Jimsy  has  been  telling  us  about  your 
eventful  trip." 

"Eventful  trip?" 

He  echoed  the  words  with  a  bewildered  air. 

Smith   pushed    his    chair   back    so   that   Mrs. 
Brooks  could  not  see  him  without  turning  in  his 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

direction  and  unobserved  by  her  motioned  warn 
ing  signals  to  his  employer,  who  did  not  under 
stand  them. 

"  Spinning  a  yarn  about  that  little  revolution 
down  at  Guatemala,"  he  prompted. 

"Eh?  Guatemala — oh,  yes — the  revolution — 
very  bloody  affair — very  serious,"  replied  Will 
iams,  who  had  suddenly  realized  that  he  was  ex 
pected  to  confirm  a  story  that  Smith  had  found 
it  expedient  to  relate  to  Mrs.  Brooks. 

"  Jimsy  said  there  wasn't  a  shot  fired,"  she  told 
him. 

Smith,  seeing  that  the  Captain  understood, 
drew  his  chair  forward. 

"  Emma,  don't  you  let  the  Captain  fill  you  full 
of  yarns.  He  can  lie  faster  than  I  can,"  he 
laughed. 

"  No,"  protested  Williams,  "  there  ain't  noth 
ing  can  beat  you,  Smith.  Well,  Mrs.  Brooks,  how 
have  you  been?" 

"  Splendid." 

"  You  look  it." 

"  Have  you  seen  mother  and  Beth  ?  " 

"  Not  yet — too  busy." 

"  When  did  you  get  in  ?  " 
134 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"When  did  I  get  in?  Let  me  see — Smith, 
when  did  I  get  in?  " 

"  You  look  as  if  you  had  just  got,"  suggested 
the  superintendent. 

"To-day — yes,  but  what  time?  I  should  say 
at  ten — maybe  eleven  o'clock." 

"  That's  probably  why  Joe  hasn't  seen  you," 
observed  Emma.  "  He's  just  taken  mother  and 
Beth  as  far  as  the  theatre.  I  don't  know  what 
keeps  him — he  should  be  back  before  this." 

"  I  guess  he  ain't  run  away,"  opined  the  Cap 
tain,  with  a  suspicion  of  grimness.  "  I'll  wait." 

"  You  know,  Emma,  that's  one  of  the  best 
things  the  Captain  does,"  said  Smith. 

"What?" 

"  Waiting.  When  it  comes  to  patience  and 
persistency,  he's  got  most  Indians  beat  a  dozen 
city  blocks." 

"  Don't  you  mind  what  Smith  says,  Mrs. 
Brooks,"  grinned  the  Captain.  "  The  years  he's 
been  working  for  me  he  never  showed  any  special 
signs  of  hurry  or  nervousness." 

"  I  don't  believe  Jimsy  ever  lost  his  temper." 

"  Not  so  a  fellow  could  see  him  hunting  for  it. 
How's  your  husband?" 

135 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Fairly  well.  I  think  he  seems  a  little  worried 
over  business." 

"  That  so  ?  What's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  You  see,  in  his  new  position  he  feels  his  re 
sponsibility." 

Williams  looked  surprised. 

"Has  he  any  special  new  responsibility?"  he 
asked,  his  eyes  wandering  inquiringly  to  Smith, 
who  did  some  more  warning  signaling  unob 
served  by  their  hostess. 

"  Well,  since  you  raised  his  salary,  Captain,  and 
gave  him  his  extra  work,  naturally  he's  anxious 
to  make  good,"  again  prompted  the  superin 
tendent. 

"Anxious  to  make  good?  Well,  he'll  have  a 
chance — and  soon  at  that." 

Mrs.  Brooks  rose,  hand  outstretched,  and  went 
to  him  with  a  happy,  grateful  smile. 

"  Now  that  it's  out,  I  want  to  thank  you  ever 
so  much,"  she  said. 

"Thank  me?" 

"  Yes,  for  Joe's  raise  and  that  six  months'  back 
pay." 

"He  told  you  that?" 

"  Sure  he  did,"  put  in  Smith. 
136 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  He  has  forbidden  me  to  speak  of  it  to  either 
you  or  Jimsy,"  Emma  told  him,  "  but  since  you 
have  mentioned  it  first  I  can  thank  you,  can't  I?  " 

He  did  not  return  a  direct  answer,  but  rubbed 
his  chin  dubiously  as  he  said : 

"So  I  raised  his  pay,  eh?  And  dated  it  back 
six  months?" 

"  Of  course  you  did,"  asseverated  Smith  with 
emphasis.  "  Don't  let  him  fool  you,  Emma." 

"  You  don't  know  how  happy  it's  made  us  all," 
went  on  Mrs.  Brooks  gratefully.  "  I  feel  like  a 
new  woman,  and  mother  appreciates  it." 

"  Well,  seems  that  I  done  all  these  things '" 

He  stopped  abruptly  as  the  door  opened  and 
his  eyes  rested  on  Brooks. 

The  latter's  under  jaw  dropped  and  he  turned 
livid  with  fear  at  the  unexpected  presence  of  the 
Captain.  He  was,  in  fact,  so  startled  that  he 
nearly  collapsed.  He  braced  himself,  however, 
and  entered  before  his  wife  could  perceive  his 
trouble. 

"  Ca-Captain   Williams ! "   he   stammered,   ad 
vancing  tremblingly  towards  him.    "  W-will  you 
shake  hands,  Captain?" 
137 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Sure,"  replied  Williams  in  a  firm  voice. 
"How  are  you,  Brooks?" 

"  I-I'm  all  right,  I  guess." 

"  You  know,  Joe,  you  told  me  not  to  thank  the 
Captain,  but  he  brought  it  up — the  raise  and  the 
money,"  said  his  wife,  still  full  of  the  subject  and 
her  gratitude. 

"  No,  I  did  Joe,"  corrected  Smith.  "  You  see 
the  Captain  feels -" 

Brooks  turned  upon  them  snarling  like  a  wolf 
at  bay. 

"  What  are  you  trying  to  do — make  fun  of  me  ? 
Don't  you  think  that's  it— 

"  Now,  Brooks,"  interrupted  the  Captain  au 
thoritatively,  "  you  sure  are  nervous.  Your  wife 
has  just  been  telling  me — how  she  enjoys  your 
new  income." 

Mrs.  Brooks,  startled  and  alarmed,  gazed  at 
her  husband. 

"Why,  Joe,  are  you  sick?  "  she  demanded. 

"  No — no — maybe  it's  the  heat,"  he  replied 
weakly,  passing  his  tongue  over  his  dried  lips. 

There  was  a  moment  of  general  embarrassment, 
during  which  Capt.  Williams  took  stock  of  the 
room. 

138 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"You  are  fixed  up  mighty  snug  here,  Mrs. 
Brooks,"  he  commented,  breaking  the  awkward 
silence. 

"  Yes,  it  is  pleasant,"  she  answered,  now  seri 
ously  worried. 

Williams  rose. 

"  Well,  I  must  go,"  he  remarked. 

"  Do  you  want  me  to  go  with  you?  "  asked  Joe. 

"  No,  to-morrow  morning  will  do  to  see  you. 
You  know  my  lonely  little  quarters  ain't  more'n 
half  a  block  from  here  and  I  like  to  hang  out 
there." 

"  The  Captain,"  added  Smith,  "lives  in  a  little 
South  Sea  Island  nook  moved  into  his  flat.  He 
keeps  it  so  dirty  that  some  say  it's  attractive." 

"  That's  what  you  get  for  being  a  bachelor," 
laughed  Williams. 

He  moved  towards  the  door  and  the  others 
rose. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you  so  happy,  Mrs.  Brooks," 
he  observed,  pausing  and  looking  about  him 
again. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  she. 

"  I  never  did  know  before  what  a  little  money 
meant  to  a  woman." 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Perhaps  that's  because  you  don't  know 
women." 

"  Oh,  I  know  women — one  kind,  anyway.  Bui 
Brooks  is  lucky  in  having  a  girl  like  you  for  a 
wife." 

"  Emma,  he's  giving  you  a  little  South  Pacific 
blarney,"  put  in  Jimsy. 

"  Maybe  I  am  and  maybe  I'm  not,"  said  the 
Captain.  "  But,"  he  continued  emphatically, 
"  it's  a  sure  thing  that  if  I  had  a  girl  like  you  I'd 
knuckle  down  and  earn  enough  money  to  make 
you  happy — eh,  Brooks?" 

"  I  suppose  that's  what  you'd  do,"  assented 
that  individual. 

"  Yes,  I'd  work  pretty  hard  without  kicking,  to 
please  you,  Mrs.  Brooks,  if  you  looked  to  me  to 
make  good  for  you." 

"  Emma,"  declared  Smith  with  his  quiet  smile, 
"  if  you  were  single  I'd  suspect  Captain  of  getting 
a  little  soft." 

"  But  I'd  earn  the  money,"  went  on  the  Cap 
tain,  pursuing  his  train  of  thought.  "  That's  the 
only  way  to  get  along.  Well,  I'll  say  good  night, 
Mrs.  Brooks." 

"  Good  night,  Captain.     Thank  you  again." 
140 


'  IP  I    HAD   A  GIRL.    LIKE   YOU   I'D    EARN    ENOUGH    MONET    TO    MAKE    YOU     HAPPY- 

EH,  BROOKS  ? "  Page  140. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Good  night,  Smith." 

"  I  may  drop  over  later,"  remarked  the  super 
intendent  by  way  of  reply. 

"  Wish  you  would,"  the  Captain  assured  him 
with  some  eagerness. 

"  I'd  like  to  smoke  a  pipe  and  talk  a  while. 
Good  night,  Brooks." 

"  Good  night,  sir." 

Brooks  went  forward  and  opened  the  door. 

"  Try  and  get  down  to  the  office  by  eight  in 
the  morning,"  recommended  the  Captain,  gazing 
at  him  with  sinister  contempt. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  There'll  be  some  gentlemen  there  who  may 
be  anxious  to  meet  you." 

"  I'll  be  there." 

"  Didn't  know  but  what  you  might  oversleep, 
now  that  you're  so  prosperous.  Good  night." 

Brooks  shut  the  door  and  stood  leaning 
against  it,  clutching  the  handle  for  support.  The 
muscles  of  his  face  were  twitching,  and  he  gazed 
with  frightened,  haunted  eyes  from  his  wife  to 
Smith. 

"  Have  you  told  her,  Jimsy?"  he  demanded. 

Smith  raised  his  hand  in  protest. 
141 


PAID    IN    FULL 
"  No,  Joe,  it  ain't  the  right  time  yet,  and- 


"Why,  isn't  it  the  right  time?  I'm  trapped 
and  Williams " 

"  Joe,  see  here,"  he  expostulated,  "  you  can't 
talk." 

"What  is  it?  What  do  you  mean?"  de 
manded  Mrs.  Brooks,  very  pale. 

Smith  still  sought  to  spare  her,  to  keep  the 
dreadful  truth  from  her. 

"  There's  just  been  a  little  trouble,  Emma,"  he 
said  evasively.  "Joe  here  is  all  worked  up — 
excited." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  happened,"  cried  her  hus 
band  in  a  choking  voice,  staggering  to  the  table. 
"  You  think  I  got  a  raise.  I  didn't.  You  think 
that  man  Williams  gave  me  six  months'  back  pay. 
He  didn't.  All  this  money  you've  been  living 
on — all  of  it — I  stole — I  took  it  from  the  com 
pany  !  Williams  trapped  me.  He  wanted  me  to 
steal.  Now  he  knows.  Now  he  knows,  and  I'm 
done  for!" 

He  fell  into  a  chair  and  doubled  forward,  bury 
ing  his  face  in  his  hands. 

For  once  Smith  was  at  a  loss  what  to  say. 

Mrs.  Brooks,  paler  than  ever,  stood  rigid,  a* 
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though  turned  to  stone,  staring  at  her  husband, 
while  the  significance  of  his  confession  developed 
in  her  brain. 

"You  mean,"  she  articulated  in  low,  slow 
tones,  "  you  mean  that  you " 

"  I'm  a  thief,"  he  moaned,  brokenly,  without 
raising  his  head.  "  They  know  it.  D'etectives 
are  downstairs  watching — watching.  To-morrow 
— to-morrow — I'll  be  in  jail." 

Another  long,  awkward  silence  ensued.  Smith 
ended  it. 

"  You  see,  Emma,  Joe  here  ain't  so  much  to 
blame,  he " 

"And  you  didn't  let  me  know?" 

There  was  cold  reproach  in  her  voice  and  in  her 
gaze. 

"  It  wasn't  time,"  explained  Jimsy,  uneasily. 
"  There's  a  chance  things  can  be  squared — there's  • 
still  a  chance." 

"  Still,  you  didn't  let  me  know ! " 

"The  thing  to  do  is  to  sit  down  quietly  and 
talk  this  over.  To  begin  with " 

"  No,  Jimsy.  Please  go  home.  I — I  want  to 
be  with  Joe — alone." 

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Smith  took  up  his  hat  reluctantly  and  prepared 
to  depart. 

"  Just  as  you  say,  Emma — just  as  you  say,"  he 
said.  "  I'll  do  all  I  can  to-night  and  let  you 
know.  Maybe  it'll  be  all  right." 

"  I  know,  Jimsy.     Good  night." 

"  Good  night," 


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CHAPTER  XII 

FOR  a  long  time  Mrs.  Brooks  stood  gazing* 
in  silence  at  her  husband,  her  heart  rent 
with  conflicting  emotions.  Her  happiness 
of  the  past  few  months,  then,  had  been  built  upon 
the  precarious  foundation  of  peculation.  Her 
husband,  who  had  sunk  forward,  hiding  his  head 
on  the  table,  and  lay  there  sobbing,  tortured  by 
that  conscience  which  is  the  hell  of  the  living 
soul  and  by  the  fear  of  the  consequences  of  the 
sin  that  had  found  him  out,  had  slid  into  the  abyss 
of  deceit  and  dishonesty  instead  of  being  ad 
vanced,  as  she  had  believed,  upon  the  ladder  of 
success  as  a  reward  for  ability,  integrity  and  faith 
ful  service.  Oh!  the  horror,  oh!  the  shame  of 
it!  On  the  very  morrow  the  name  she  bore 
would  be  held  up  to  disgrace  and  derision.  He 
would  be  cast  into  prison.  The  misery  of  their 
struggles  with  poverty  was  as  nothing  compared 
with  that  of  their  sudden  downfall. 

Numbed  though  her  heart  was  with  the  shock, 


PAID    IN    FULL 

shrunk  by  the  terror  of  their  ghastly  position, 
it  was  yet  not  impervious  to  pity  and  the  hope 
less  wretchedness  of  her  husband  inspired  it. 
The  provocation  for  the  first  false  step,  the 
others,  prompted  by  illusory  hope  that  had 
made  his  downward  course  easier  and  easier  until 
he  had  gone  so  far  that  he  could  **ot  struggle 
back,  was  all  comprehensible  to  her,  and  she 
thought  of  how  he  had  lavished  his  stealings  upon 
her,  how  he  appeared  to  be  moved  by  the  one 
desire  to  make  her  comfortable  and  happy. 

She  went  to  him  and  put  her  hand  on  his  head, 
smoothing  his  hair. 

"  Oh,  Joe — oh,  my  boy,"  she  said  brokenly, 
"  how  could  you  do  it?  Didn't  you  know  sooner 
or  later  you'd  be  found  out  ?  Now  I  know  why 
you've  been  interested  in  the  races — you've  been 
betting  on  the  horses." 

"  I — I  wanted  to  get  the  money  back,"  he 
sobbed. 

"But  didn't  you  know  you  couldn't?  Oh! 
why  didn't  you  leave  things  as  they  were — the 
flat,  the  struggle  and  all  that?  Why  did  you 
bring  me  here  and  show  me  all  this — this  happi 
ness — with  money  that  you  stole?" 
146 


His  sobbing  ceased  and  he  pushed  her  away, 
and  rose. 

"That's  right — you  call  me  a  thief!  If  there 
was  one  person  in  the  world  I  thought  I  could 
turn  to  it's  you — and  you  turn  on  me." 

"  Joe,  you  mustn't  say  that,  I  haven't  turned 
on  you.  Only  I  can't  help  but  think " 

"  What  ?  That  man  Williams  drove  me  to  tak 
ing  the  money." 

"Drove  you?" 

"  Yes,  he  did — he  went  away  so  I  could  take  it. 
I  expected  you  to  stand  by  me.  Do  you  know 
the  hole  I'm  in?  There  are  three  Central  Office 
men  downstairs  watching.  If  I  make  a  move  I'll 
be  nabbed.  It's  all  very  well  for  you  to  stop  and 
preach,  you  always  were  so  damned  saintly;  but 
what  of  me?  That's  the  question,  what  of  me?" 

He  thumped  his  breast  violently. 

She  drew  back,  hurt  by  his  reproaches. 

"  If  I  thought  you  were  yourself,  I'd  never  for 
give  you  for  saying  that  to  me,"  she  declared. 

"  I'm  not  asking  your  forgiveness,  nor  your 
mother's,  nor  your  sister's.  What  I  want  now  is 
somebody  to  help  me  out — I  don't  vyant  to  go  to 
jail — it  would  kill  me ! " 

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"  Do  you  think  I  want  you  to  go  to  jail?  Do 
you  think  I  want  the  disgrace " 

"  The  disgrace — that's  it !  I  knew  that  would 
come  sooner  or  later — 'but  I  didn't  think  it  would 
come  from  you.  There's  always  somebody  to 
hammer  that  into  a  fellow  when  he's  down." 

"  I'm  not  trying  to  hammer  anything  into  you. 
What  I  want  to  know  is  what  can  be  done?, 
What  are  we  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know — unless " 

"  Unless  we  can  get  the  money  to  pay  back. 
There's  Jimsy." 

"That  won't  do — it's  too  much.  He  hasn't 
got  it.  Besides,  it's  too  late.  Williams  means 
business.  He  wouldn't  take  the  money,  he's  not 
that  kind." 

"  Oh,  if  I  only  knew  a  way — if  I  could  only 
help!" 

She  wrung  her  hands  and  sank  hopelessly  into 
a  chair  by  the  table. 

Brooks  paced  the  room  restlessly,  like  a  wild 

animal  in  a  cage.     Now  and   then   he    shot   a 

peculiar,  furtive  glance  in  the  direction  of  his 

wife.      Finally,   he  sat  opposite  to   her,  leaned 

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towards  her  on  the  table  and  said  in  a  low,  in 
tense  voice : 

"  If  anything  is  to  be  done,  it's  got  to  be  done 
to-night,  Emma.  Williams  is  the  only  man. 
You  can  square  it  with  him." 

"I  can?" 

"  Yes,  and  no  one  but  you." 

"What  can  I  do?" 

He  looked  at  her  meaningly. 

"  He  likes  you." 

Startled,  she  returned  his  gaze,  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  he  does,"  he  went  on,  "  he  always  did. 
Women  are  his  weak  point.  He's  liked  you  for 
years,  that's  why  he  hangs  around.  I've  seen  it, 
and  heard  what  he  said  to-night,  about  what  he'd 
do  for  a  girl  like  you.  He  meant  that,  Emma — 
he'll  do  anything  you  ask  him  if — if  you  go  to  him 
right." 

Beginning  to  understand  what  he  wanted  of 
her  she  rose  slowly,  incredulous  horror  in  her 
eyes.  He  rose  also  and  went  towards  her. 

"  He's  home  now,"  he  urged  eagerly.     "  You 

can  go.     No  one  will  know  but  just  Williams, 

you  and  me.     And  you  can  do  more  than  that — 

you  can  make  him  give  us  money,  more  money, 

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to  keep  on  living  like  this,  and  there  won't  be  any 
risk." 

She  recoiled  from  him,  consumed  with  rage 
and  shame,  her  eyes  blazing. 

"I  hope  I  don't  understand  aright!"  The 
words  came  in  quivering  gasps.  "  You  mean  me 
to  go  to  his  apartment  to-night,  to  see  him — and 
_and " 

"  No  one  will  know  the  difference,"  he  coaxed 
softly.  "  You  can  handle  him  all  right.  Be 
sides,  you  know  how  far  you  can  let  a  man 
go — all  women  know  that." 

"  Oh  !  I  can't  believe  I'm  listening  to  you !  A 
husband  to  ask  a  wife " 

She  stopped,  pressing  her  cheeks  between  her 
clenched  hands,  appalled  at  his  infamy. 

"  Then  you  won't  do  it  ? "  he  cried  angrily. 
"You  won't  come  to  the  front?  I  suppose  you 
don't  think  I  ought  to  ask?  Why  shouldn't  I? 
Who  did  I  steal  the  money  for?  I  did  it  because 
you  made  me." 

"  That's  a  lie !  " 

"You  know  it's  the  truth.  When  I  married 
you  your  father  was  to  help  me  and  he  died,  and 
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then  you  had  to  do  your  own  work  and  yots 
whined  and  complained. 

"  That's  another  lie !  " 

"  Oh !  you  never  said  so  in  so  many  words,  but 
I  saw  it — for  four  years  around  the  house.  I  saw 
you  sighing  and  moping  because  you  didn't  have 
enough  to  live  on.  Then  there  was  that  mother 
of  yours  and  your  sister — they  never  stopped. 
You  tried  to  make  yourself  a  martyr.  Every 
moment  of  your  life  was  a  mute  protest  against 
our  poverty — yes  it  was,  and  you  know  it.  Do 
you  remember  that  night  when  you  said  you 
couldn't  go  to  the  theatre  because  you  didn't 
have  clothes?  That  was  the  first  time  I  took 
money.  That's  when  I  began." 

"You  knew  I  wouldn't  have  gone  if  I  had 
known." 

"  But  you  did  go — you  kept  on  going,  and  I 
kept  on  stealing  for  you.  God!  how  I've  suf 
fered — for  you — for  the  clothes  on  your  back. 
Every  night  has  been  a  nightmare.  Now  I'm 
going  to  jail — you  know  that.  I'm  going  up 
there  on  the  river  for  years  because  you  won't 
do  your  part." 

"  I  can't  do  what  you  want.'* 


PAID    IN    FULL 

He  became  satanically  persuasive  again. 

"  Why  can't  you? "  he  urged.  "  Other  women 
have  for  less  reason — one  to  get  control  of  a 
transcontinental  railroad  for  her  husband.  I've 
risked  everything  for  you.  If  you  go  there  to 
night  I  won't  go  to  jail,  I  won't  be  hauled  into 
court,  no  one  will  know  but  the  three  of  us.  No 
one  will  think  the  less  of  you.  I've  gone  through 
to  the  limit  for  you,  it's  up  to  you  to  go  through 
for  me." 

"  Then  if  you  go  to  jail  you  mean  that  I've  sent 
you  there?" 

"  Yes,  and  down  in  your  heart  you  know  you 
have." 

Every  instinct  of  her  pure  womanhood,  every 
fibre  of  her  flesh,  revolted  at  this  cynical  exhibi 
tion  of  his  vileness.  She  contemplated  him  with 
loathing. 

"  Now  that  I  see  you  naked  in  all  your  nasty 
meanness,  your  contemptible  viciousness,  I  won 
der  how  I  ever  made  the  mistake  of  thinking  you 
even  half  a  man,"  she  said. 

This  scathing  denunciation  made  no  impres 
sion  on  his  deadened  sense  of  honor  and  decency. 

"  You  can't  dodge  the  responsibility  with  fine 
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speeches,"  he  replied,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
"  I've  gone  wrong  for  you.  What  are  you  going 
to  do?  Be  square  with  me  and  take  this  chance 
— an  easy  chance — and  you  know  you're  safe." 

She  did  not  answer,  but  stood  there,  her  face 
set  in  its  expression  of  abhorrence  and  indigna 
tion,  deliberating  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue 
towards  this  unspeakable  villain  to  whom  she  was 
bound.  Slowly  she  decided  what  she  had  to  do, 
while  he  watched  her  with  anxious,  cringing 
mien. 

She  addressed  him,  finally,  in  cold,  harsh  tones : 

"Whatever  I  may  do  or  promise  to  do,  I 
promise  simply  because  you  blame  me." 

"  Emma,  I  knew  you'd " 

"  Don't  make  the  mistake  that  I  care  for  you. 
Whatever  I  felt  for  you,  and  I  thought  it  was 
love,  you've  assassinated  in  the  last  ten  minutes. 
But  I  don't  want  you  to  go  to  jail  pointing  a 
finger  of  accusation  at  me." 

"  Then  you'll  be  square — you'll  help — 
you'll " 

"  You  understand  that  if  I  bargain  with  Cap 
tain  Williams  for  your  freedom,  I  make  the  bar- 
gain." 

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"  I  know.     I'll  never  ask." 

"  It  will  be  my  business  alone." 

"  Yes,  just  yours." 

"Is  he  home?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  He  said  he  was  going1 
there." 

"Telephone  and  ask  him  if  he  can  see  me — 
now — alone." 

He  jumped  to  the  instrument,  but  as  his  hand 
grasped  the  receiver  he  hesitated,  and  a  flush 
suffused  his  white,  drawn  cheeks,  brought  there 
by  the  first  true  consciousness  of  the  enormity  of 
his  crime.  He  looked  around  guiltily  at  his  wife. 
She  was  standing  rigid,  her  back  towards  him. 
•He  took  down  the  receiver. 

"  Seven-six-eight«four  Bryant,"  he  called. 


T54 


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CHAPTER  XIII 

WHEN  Jimsy  Smith  had  told  Emma  and 
Joe  that  Capt.  Williams  lived  in  a  little 
South  Sea  Island  nook  moved  into  his 
flat  and  that  it  was  dirty  the  description  had 
done  justice  to  the  place  in  a  general  way.  It 
was  in  a  hotel  not  far  from  that  in  which  the 
Brookses  had  so  recently  taken  up  their  resi 
dence,  and  the  living-  room  was  a  curious  combi 
nation  of  natural  history  museum  and  ship's 
cabin.  It  was  crowded  with  curious  mementoes 
collected  in  the  course  of  his  many  voyages. 

A  wooden  capstan  in  the  centre  did  duty  for  a: 
round  table,  and  on  it,  in  addition  to  an  electric 
reading  lamp,  an  untidy  litter  of  papers  and 
magazines,  some  writing  paper,  envelopes,  pens 
and  ink,  was  a  huge  tin  box  of  tobacco,  and  a 
rack  containing  pipes  of  wood  and  meerschaum, 
of  all  sizes,  shapes  and  colors.  Remarkable 
among  the  few  chairs  of  rattan  or  rush  was  one,  a 
large  rocking  chair,  partially  constructed  of  two 
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small  anchors,  the  flukes  forming  the  rockers. 
In  a  corner,  over  a  comfortable  lounge,  was  a 
canopy  made  of  a  piece  of  sail  canvas  supported 
by  South  Sea  Island  spears,  and  decorated  with 
leather  shields,  war  clubs,  boomerangs  and  other 
native  weapons,  together  with  necklaces  and 
various  ornaments  of  sharks'  teeth.  Covering 
the  walls  were  stuffed  fishes  of  weird  shape,  the 
sword  of  a  swordfish,  strange  images  and 
trinkets,  and  a  few  marine  paintings — one  a 
whale-hunting  scene — darkened  by  age,  smoke 
and  dirt.  Over  the  entrance  door  was  a  ship's 
wheel,  and  on  the  mantel  a  model  of  an  old-time 
trading  schooner  with  all  sails  set.  Among  other 
objects  on  the  mantel  also  was  a  faded  daguerreo 
type,  showing  Capt.  Williams  as  a  young  man, 
in  uniform.  On  each  side  of  the  capstan  was  a 
dirty  cuspidor.  The  carpet  also  was  dirty  and 
spotted,  and  some  rugs  of  matting  scattered 
about  the  room  would  have  been  all  the  better 
for  a  thorough  scrubbing.  For  the  rest,  dust  had 
settled  thickly  everywhere.  In  this  queer  abode 
Williams  lived  alone,  save  for  Sato,  a  Japanese 
valet,  who  had  served  him  for  many  years. 
The  massive  form  of  the  Captain  himself 
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minus  his  coat,  might  have  been  descried  in  the: 
light  of  the  lamp  through  the  cloud  of  tobacco 
smoke  that  enveloped  him,  as  he  sat  reading  a 
magazine,  some  time  after  his  departure  from  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brooks.  He  was  rather 
annoyed  when  the  telephone  bell  rang,  and  had 
he  not  been  expecting  Smith  would  not  have 
troubled  to  answer  it.  As  it  was,  he  swore  a 
little  and  rose  lazily  to  respond. 

"Hello!  Yes,  this  is  Captain  Williams,"  he 
said  in  his  usual  stentorian  voice.  "  What, 
Brooks  ?  I  won't  talk  with  you  over  the  'phone — 
no — what  ?  Mrs.  Brooks  ?  What,  here  ?  Well, 
well !  Yes,  I'm  at  home — yes.  Right  away,  you 
say?  Yes,  I'll  wait." 

Williams  could  hardly  believe  what  he  had 
heard.  He  turned  it  over  in  his  mind  for  fully 
three  minutes  figuring  out  just  what  it  could 
mean. 

"  Going  to  send  his  wife  here !  What  a  skunk 
he  is!"  he  grunted. 

He   ambled   to   the   telephone   again   and   in 
structed  the  hotel  clerk  that  if  any  visitors  called 
to   see   him  they  were  to  be  shown  right  up. 
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From  there  he  went  to  the  door  of  an  adjoining 
room,  and  roared  for  his  valet. 

"Any  beer  on  ice?"  he  demanded  when  the 
Japanese,  who  evidently  had  been  asleep,  pre 
sented  himself." 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"Got  limes?" 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"Any  rum — the  kind  I  brought  up  from  the 
West  Indies?" 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"Plenty  ice?" 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"  Good !  Be  sure  you're  telling  the  truth,  un- 
'derstand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"That's  all." 

He  could  not  get  over  the  wonder  Brooks's 
telephone  communication  had  caused  him,  for  as 
he  settled  into  his  chair  again  and  lit  his  pipe, 
after  rilling  it  with  fuel  from  the  tin,  he  muttered 
to  himself: 

"Told  her  he'd  got  a  raise  of  pay,  eh?  What 
a  skunk  he  is !  And  what  a  fine  girl  she  is !  " 

He  gazed  abstractedly  at  the  model  of  the 
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schooner  on  the  mantel  opposite  to  him,  and  be 
came  buried  in  thought  so  deep  that  he  actually 
stopped  smoking  and  let  his  pipe  go  out.  Pres 
ently  he  roused  himself,  fished  a  sheet  of  writing 
paper  from  among  the  reading  matter  on  the  cap 
stan  table  and  wrote  something  upon  it,  after 
which  he  folded  the  paper  carefully  and  hid  it  be 
tween  the  leaves  of  a  magazine. 

Then  he  shouted  again  for  his  valet. 

"  Sato,"  he  ordered,  "  bring  my  slippers  and 
smoking  jacket." 

The  man  did  so,  and  helped  him  on  with  the 
coat,  a  garment  of  thin  holland. 

"  You  didn't  think  of  going  out,  did  you?  "  de~ 
manded  the  Captain. 

"  No,  saar." 

"  Then  begin  to  think  about  it.  There's  a  lady 
coming  to  see  me." 

The  man  grinned  knowingly. 

"  You  might  as  well  take  a  walk,  Sato." 

"  Yes,  saar." 

"  And  you  needn't  come  back  rig.ht  away." 

"  No,  saar." 

"  Here's  a  couple  of  dollars  for  you.  Take  'em 
and  get  to  blazes  out  of  here.  Sabe?  " 

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"  Yes,  saar." 

"And  stay  out,"  he  recommended,  as  the 
Japanese  prepared  to  obey. 

When  the  valet  had  vanished  the  Captain  took 
a  survey  of  his  domain  rather  anxiously. 

"  It's  a  little  dirty,  a  little  dirty,  but  it'll  have  to 
do/'  he  muttered. 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  Williams 
wreathed  his  physiognomy  in  the  most  amiable 
smile  of  which  it  was  capable,  felt  his  tie  to  assure 
himself  that  it  had  not  slipped  round  towards  his 
left  ear,  as  it  had  a  bad  habit  of  doing1  when  not 
hauled  taut  and  clamped  in  place,  and  went  to  let 
his  visitor  in. 

The  caller,  however,  was  only  Smith. 

"  Come  in,  but  make  your  business  short,"  was 
Williams's  blunt  greeting.  "  I'm  expecting  an 
important  visitor." 

"  All  right,  Captain,"  responded  Smith,  tran 
quilly,  entering  and  helping  himself  to  a  chair. 

"  Have  a  pipe  ?  "  invited  his  host,  pushing  the 
tobacco  tin  toward  him. 

"  Too  hot,"  was  the  laconic  declination. 

"  Well,  how  did  you  leave  the  Brooks  family  ?  " 

"  She  knows." 

160 


"Yeu  tell  her?" 

"No;  Joe  did." 

"  Didn't  think  he  had  the  nerve." 

"  He  hasn't." 

"How's  that?" 

"  It  was  because  he  lost  it  that  he  told  her. 
Busted  right  out  the  moment  the  door  was  closed 
on  you." 

"  Did  they  have  a  row?  " 

"  Don't  know.  She  took  it  like  a  major  and 
asked  me  to  leave  'em  alone." 

"  That's  natural." 

"  Have  you  got  the  exact  figures?  " 

"What  figures?" 

"  Of  how  much  he  took." 

"  I  guess  so — to  the  penny,"  said  Williams, 
reaching  for  a  memorandum  book  and  consulting 
it.  "  It  was  just  sixteen  thousand,  eight  hundred 
and  fifty,  three  days  ago." 

"  Any  more  now?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of.  Guess  that  covers  it." 

Smith  shook  his  head  moodily. 

"  That's  too  bad — too  bad,"  he  murmured. 

"That's  right,  it  is  too  bad,"  agreed  the 
Caotain. 

161 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Smith  thought  for  a  minute,  looked  straight 
at  the  Captain,  who  was  regarding  him  curiously, 
and  said  firmly,  and  more  quickly  than  his  em 
ployer  had  ever  heard  him  speak  before: 

"Williams,  I  don't  think  it'll  take  three  min 
utes  for  you  and  me  to  come  to  an  under 
standing." 

"What  about?" 

"  Brooks." 

"What  about  him?" 

"  I  want  to  square  this  thing  for  him." 

"  Where  do  you  come  in,  Smith?  " 

"  In  plain  words,  Williams,  that's  my  business. 
But  I  want  to  square  it." 

"  How  do  you  think  you  can  square  it,  Smith  ?  " 

As  Jimsy  prepared  to  answer  the  question  he 
fell  back  into  his  old  familiar  drawl. 

"  Well,  Williams,"  he  said,  "  you  ain't  got  any 
callous  on  your  fingers  from  handing  out  coin  to 
the  folks  who've  worked  for  you,  but  I've  always 
been  treated  about  right." 

"You  were  always  worth  treating"  right, 
Smith." 

"  Thanks." 

162 


rAiD    IN    FULL 

"Always  found  you  a  fair  man — doing  things 
you  said  you'd  do  in  a  fair  way." 

"I  ain't  never  been  much  of  a  spendthrift, 
^Williams.  I've  saved  and  been  a  little  lucky  in 
investing  the  little  I've  had." 

"  You  were  always  keen,  Smith,  always  b&eu." 

"  I  ain't  got  quite  enough  to  square  all  of 
that." 

"No?" 

"  I  can  raise  about  fourteen  thousand  by  noon 
to-morrow,  and  I'll  give  you  my  note  for  the  rest, 
with  security — I  mean  collateral." 

"'So  it  ain't  none  of  my  business  why  you  do 
this?" 

"  Exactly." 

"  Smith,  I  don't  think  you  can  square  this  Kttle 
matter  for  Brooks." 

"  Don't  think  my  note's  good,  eh  ?  " 

"  'Tain't  that.  You  couldn't  square  this,  Smith, 
if  you  had  a  million  right  in  your  clothes  this 
minute." 
.  "Why  not?" 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I'm  going  to  open  negotia 
tions  with  another  party." 

"That  so?" 

163 


IN    FULL 

"  Mrs.  Breaks." 

"How?" 

"  She's  earning  up  here  to  see  me  soon.  Maybe 
she  and  me  can  come  to  some  mutually  pleasant 
arrangement  that  will  keep  Brooks  out  of  jail." 

"  When  is  she  coming  ?  " 

The  Captain  puffed  at  his  pipe  and  scrutinized 
Smith's  face  closely  as  he  replied : 

"  Expect  her  any  moment." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"  Telephoned." 

If  Williams  expected  to  see  any  sign  in  his 
visitor  of  the  utter  amazement,  the  profound  con 
sternation,  the  imparting  of  this  information 
caused  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  Smith 
remained  as  unreadable  as  the  Sphinx.  But  it  was 
sixty  seconds  before  he  spoke. 

"  I  suppose  that's  a  hint  for  me  to  be  on  my 
way?"  he  interrogated. 

"  That's  about  the  meaning  I  meant  to  con 
vey,"  admitted  the  Captain,  without  circumlo 
cution. 

Jimsy  rose  slowly,  took  his  hat  and  went 
towards  the  door.  Before  he  reached  it  he  turned. 

"  Williams,"  he  said,  "  you  know  I've  known 
164 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Emma — Mrs.  Brooks — ever  since  she  was  in 
short  clothes,  and  used  to  come  down  to  the  of 
fice  to  go  home  with  her  daddy." 

"  So  I've  heard." 

"  She's  always  been  able  to  look  into  my  face 
with  them  big  blue  eyes  and  smile.  Some  time — 
some  day — if  I  get  back — I'm  going  to  make  it 
my  business  to  see  her." 

"  All  right." 

"  And  if  she  shouldn't  happen  to  look  up  into 
my  face  and  smile  I'm  going  to  find  you,  Will 
iams,  and  I'm  coming  heeled." 

The  Captain  puffed  his  pipe  placidly. 

"  What  style  heels  might  you  be  wearing  now, 
Smith  ?  "  he  inquired,  with  great  deliberation. 

"  Well,"  answered  the  always  deliberate  Jimsy, 
"  if  you  should  consult  the  particular  shoemaker 
who  furnishes  them  he'd  describe  that  heel  as  of 
forty-five  calibre." 

"  Good  night,  Smith,"  said  the  Captain  dryly. 

Smith  did  not  reply. 

Williams  gazed  in  the  direction  of  the  door 

after  his   superintendent  had  closed  it.     There 

was  an  enigmatical  smile  ©»  his  face.    It  slowly 

died  away,  and  his  pugnacious  under  jaw  pro- 

165 


PAID    IN    FULL 

truded  orniaously.  Reaching1  round  to  his  hip 
pocket  he  brought  out  a  revolver.  It  was  a  for 
midable-looking-  weapon,  with  a  long-  barrel.  He 
broke  the  breach,  examined  the  cartridges  and 
replaced  it  in  his  pocket. 
"  Darned  if  he  wouldn't  do  it,  too,"  he  muttered. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

REMORSE  may  be  the  least  active  of  all  the 
moral  senses ;  still,  there  is  no  heart  abso 
lutely  without  it.    No  sooner  had  his  wife 
passed  from  his  view  than  it  became  active  in 
Brooks,  having-  been  fired  by  the  flicker  of  shame 
that  the  full  realization  of  his  villainy  had  pro 
voked  as  he  took  down  the  receiver  of  the  tele 
phone  to  call  Capt.  Williams. 

la  forcing  Emma  to  deliver  herself  into  the 
hands  of  his  employer  he  had  not  actually  be 
lieved  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  her  to  make 
the  supreme  sacrifice.  "  You  can  handle  him  all 
right,"  he  had  told  her;  "you  know  how  far  you 
can  let  a  man  go — all  women  know  that."  But 
he  had  been  willing  to  take  the  chance  that  this 
sacrifice  would  be  exacted,  and,  knowing  only  too 
well  the  brutal  sensuousness  of  Williams,  his 
notorious  depravity,  and  that  he  had  east  what  he 
had  tateen  to  be  lustful  eyes  on  Emma,  he  now 
had  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  would  be.  The 
167 


Captain  was  not  the  man  to  give  anything1  for 
nothing,  to  part  with  money  without  receiving 
full  value.  With  his  great  physical  strength  and 
his  will  that  overbore  and  wore  down  all  opposi 
tion,  how  would  the  gentle,  submissive  nature  of 
Emma  be  able  to  hold  out  against  him  ?  Reduced 
to  helplessness  by  his  all-dominating  power,  with 
the  alternative  of  compliance  or  their  ruin  held 
out  to  her,  she  would  have  to  submit. 

Brooks  pictured  the  scene  as  though  it  were 
being  enacted  before  him,  and  he  went  hot  and 
cold  and  a  sweat  of  agony  broke  out  all  over  him. 

"No!  No!  No!" 

He  uttered  aloud  the  protest  wrung  from  his 
writhing  soul  by  his  half-resuscitated  manhood. 
He  clutched  his  throat,  struck  himself  in  the 
mouth  with  such  violence  that  his  teeth  cut  his 
under  lip  and  the  blood  dyed  his  chin,  seized  his 
hat  and  dashed  wildly  for  the  door.  Fear  met 
him  there  and  held  up  a  restraining  finger. 
Downstairs  were  the  three  Central  Office  de 
tectives.  On  the  morrow,  in  a  few  hours,  at  the 
office  where  he  had  worked  for  five  years,  these 
men,  at  the  behest  of  his  employer,  would  place 
their  hands  on  his  arms  and  he  would  be  under 
1 68 


PAID    IN    FULL 

arrest.  He  saw  himself  being1  led  @ut,  hand 
cuffed,  under  the  mocking-  eyes  of  his  fellow- 
clerks  and  the  customers. 

He  closed  the  door  again  and  turned  from  it, 
Cowardice  at  his  heels,  whispering  sophistic 
prudence,  counseling  the  poltroon's  discretion, 
throwing  specious  sops  to  his  conscience.  Some 
thing  had  to  be  done.  No  other  course  than  that 
he  had  taken  had  been  possible  under  the  cir 
cumstances.  Between  him  and  State's  prison 
stood  Emma.  She  alone  on  earth  could  save  him, 
if  salvation  were  possible.  Punishment  and  im 
munity,  at  that  moment,  perhaps,  held  the  bal 
ance  even.  The  giving  or  withholding  of  a  kiss 
would  turn  the  scales  either  way.  The  giving  of  it 
would  brand  him  with  that  particular  stamp  of 
infamy  which,  when  recognized  by  men,  caused 
them  to  draw  away  with  rising  gorge  and 
spurn  the  bearer.  But  none  would  know  of  the 
sacrifice — no  one  save  the  victim,  Williams  and 
himself.  Other  women  had  done  as  much  in 
pressing  emergencies  to  save  their  husbands  from 
public  dishonor.  Some  had  bargained  their 
favors  to  insure  office  or  advancement  for  hus 
bands  or  sons,  some  for  dress  and  jewels  their 


husbands  could  not  give  them.  He  himself  would 
never  seek  to  know  just  what  had  passed  between 
his  wife  and  the  Captain.  He  was  free  to  assume 
that  he  had  worried  unnecessarily;  that  nothing 
©f  what  he  felt  certain  was  happening  had  oc 
curred,  to  surmise  that  it  had  not  been  necessary 
for  Emma  to  resort  to  complete  surrender.  What 
he  did  not  know  could  not  trouble  him.  Anyhow, 
it  was  too  late  now,  the  die  had  been  cast.  The 
chief  thing,  nay,  the  one  thing,  he  had  to  fear  was 
that  her  mission  might  be  unsuccessful,  that  she 
could  not  purchase  his  freedom  at  any  price 
whatsoever. 

The  possibility  of  this  twisted  his  selfish  heart 
with  anguish  again.  Oh,  why  had  he  got  himself 
into  this  trouble?  Why  had  he  not  kept  within 
bounds  ?  It  was  opportunity,  that  handmaiden  of 
sin,  that  had  made  him  a  thief  and  started  him 
on  the  way  that  had  brought  him  to  the  threshold 
of  the  jail. 

When  goaded  to  desperation  and  recklessness 
he  had  taken  the  first  ten  dollars  from  the  money 
he  had  collected  he  had  had  no  idea  of  not  return 
ing  it — somehow.  It  had  brought  a  good  deal  of 
pleasure  to  Emma  and  himself,  lightened  their 
170 


PAID    IN    FULL 

hard  penury  with  a  gleam  of  brightness.  But  ten 
dollars  then  had  been  a  lot  of  money.  It  had  not 
been  possible  to  replace  it  at  once.  It  was  far 
easier  to  fix  his  accounts  so  that  the  sum  would 
not  be  missed.  He  had  yielded  to  the  temptation 
and  had  so  fixed  them. 

Jenkins,  his  fellow-employe  in  the  office,  was  a 
follower  of  horse  racing  in  his  small  way.  Now 
and  then  he  risked  a  dollar  or  two  in  a  nearby 
poolroom,  and  sometimes  he  won.  A  few  days 
after  Brooks  had  falsified  the  books  to  cover  up 
his  deficit  of  ten  dollars  Jenkins  had  confided  to 
his  office  cronies  that  he  had  a  tip  of  which  he 
felt  so  sure  that  he  was  prepared  to  pawn  his  last 
shoestring  to  back  it-  Many  others  had  decided 
to  take  a  chance,  and,  having  no  money  of  his 
own,  Brooks  had  taken  an  advance  on  his  salary 
out  of  his  collections  and  followed  their  example. 
The  odds  they  had  obtained  were  six  to  one,  and 
the  horse  had  won.  Out  of  his  winnings  Brooks 
had  replaced  the  money  he  had  helped  himself  to. 

The  poolroom  and  the  availability  of  the  com 
pany's  money  had  offered  to  him  a  great  oppor 
tunity  to  win  what  he  could  not  earn,  and  en 
couraged  by  his  first  success  he  had  taken  ad- 
171 


PAID    IN    FULL 

vantage  of  it.  He  had  begun  by  making  a  study 
of  racing  and  risking  small  sums.  Luck  had  been 
with  him,  and  he  had  won  time  and  time  again. 
He  had  wanted  his  wife  to  share  his  good  for 
tune,  but  had  not  dared  to  tell  her  how  he  had 
obtained  the  money,  so  he  had  invented  the  story 
of  outside  work.  His  run  of  luck  had  continued, 
however,  until  it  had  become  phenomenal,  and 
this  it  was  that  had  caused  his  extravagant  op 
timism.  He  had  wagered  larger  and  larger  sums 
until  his  winnings  had  represented  a  secret  bank 
account  of  three  thousand  dollars.  It  was  one 
day  when  he  had  "  plunged  "  and  won  a  thousand 
dollars  that  he  had  conceived  the  fiction  of  his 
promotion  with  reward  of  back  pay.  His  jubila 
tion  had  been  so  great  that  he  had  not  been  able 
and  had  not  wanted  to  conceal  it.  Moreover,  with 
his  bank  account  reserve  he  had  been  so  sure  of 
himself  that  he  had  aspired  to  expansion  of  their 
mode  of  living. 

Soon  after  their  installation  in  their  more  ex 
pensive  quarters,  however,  a  series  of  reverses 
had  come.  His  luck  had  deserted  him.  First  his 
bank  account  went.  Then  he  had  drawn  on  the 
collections  in  his  efforts  to  retrieve  his  losses.  He 
172 


PAID    IN    FULL 

had  plunged  and  lost,  plunged  and  won,  plunged 
again  and  lost.  It  had  not  been  long  before  his 
"  borrowings "  had  reached  such  a  terrifying 
amount  that  he  had  realized  that  discovery  was 
inevitable  unless  he  could  replace  the  money 
within  brief  delay.  It  was  fear  of  this  that  had 
worried  him  into  a  condition  bordering  on  nerv 
ous  collapse.  He  had  not  expected  to  be  able  to 
recover  all  that  he  had  lost,  but  he  had  clung  to 
the  despairing  hope  that  by  wagering  heavily  he 
could  win  enough  during  Williams's  absence  to 
hide  his  pilfering  and  postpone  examination. 
While  this  could  be  deferred  there  was  hope. 
Now  he  knew  that  his  cunning,  relentless  em 
ployer  had  been  watching  his  gradually  tottering 
progress  on  the  tightrope  of  dishonesty  and,  pre 
paring  a  trap  to  catch  him  in,  had  chosen  his  own 
time  to  spring  it. 

At  the  thought  of  this  Brooks  worked  himself 
into  a  perfect  frenzy  of  fury.  He  raged  up  and 
down  the  room,  cursing  Williams,  vomiting  all 
the  vile  epithets  that  he  had  ever  heard  or  could 
imagine.  He  hurled  a  cushion  to  the  floor  and 
ground  it  with  his  foot  as  though  it  were  his 
enemy's  hated  face. 

173 


"  You  have  cheated  me  out  of  a  living,  you 
fiend !  "  he  almost  howled.  "And  now  you  have 
taken  my  wife." 

The  sound  of  his  own  voice  startled  and  cahned 
him,  and  he  peeped  out  in  the  corridor  appre 
hensively,  for  fear  any  one  might  by  chance  have 
been  nigh  and  heard  him.  He  was  exhausted  by 
the  violence  of  his  paroxysm.  His  breath  came 
quickly,  in  gasps,  and  he  stood  with  staring  eyes 
and  heaving  bosom  until  the  nervous  reaction  set 
in.  Then  he  staggered  to  the  sofa,  threw  himself 
upon  it  and  burst  into  tears. 

The  lachrymose  effusion  was  of  brief  duration, 
and  it  was  succeeded  by  deep  dejection.  He  sat 
up  and  glanced  at  his  watch.  It  was  eleven 
o'clock.  He  reached  for  a  newspaper  and  tried  to 
read  it,  but  he  could  not  concentrate  his  thoughts 
on  the  news  items  his  eyes  lighted  upon.  In 
quietude  was  gnawing  at  his  heart  again.  He 
picked  up  another  paper,  but  met  with  no  better 
success.  One  after  another  he  got  all  the  papers 
and  magazines  there  were,  only  to  throw  them 
impatiently  to  the  floor;  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  read  them. 

174 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Emma  had  been  gone  a  long  time.  What  was 
detaining  her?  What,  except 

His  face  began  to  twitch.  He  rose,  lit  a 
cigarette,  took  two  puffs  at  it  and  put  it  down. 

After  all,  the  chief  thing  was  that  she  slwuld  be 
successful. 

He  filled  a  glass  with  water  that  a  bellboy  had 
brought  up  iced  for  his  mother-in-law,  and 
drained  it  at  a  draught.  Then  he  picked  up  the 
newspaper  nearest  to  him  and  tried  to  read  again, 
but  it  was  useless.  He  threw  it  down. 

What  if  Williams  had  refused  to  be  persuaded? 

The  suspense  was  becoming  unendurable.  A 
look  of  determination  came  into  his  face  and  he 
went  to  the  telephone,  but  as  his  hand  touched  it 
he  changed  his  mind,  walked  back  to  the  table 
and  lit  another  cigarette.  Then  he  went  to  the 
window  and  stared  out  at  the  opposite  houses 
with  unseeing  eyes.  Presently  his  hand  sought 
his  watch  pocket.  The  timepiece  it  drew  out 
marked  ten  minutes  past  eleven.  He  held  it  to  his 
ear ;  it  was  ticking  steadily. 

Only  ten  minutes  since  he  had  looked  at  it  be 
fore!  Impossible!  Fully  an  hour  had  elapsed. 
The  watch  must  have  stopped  in  the  interim.  Im- 
175 


PAID    IN    FULL 

patient,  he  went  to  the  telephone  and  asked  foe 
the  right  time.  The  hotel  clerk  replied  that  it  was 
just  ten  minutes  past  eleven.  On  his  way  to  the 
table  to  get  another  cigarette  he  happened  to 
catch  sight  of  himself  in  the  mirror  over  the  man 
telpiece.  The  thin,  haggard,  ashen  visage  he  saw 
there  frightened  him.  He  laughed  nervously. 

As  he  did  so  the  door  behind  him  opened. 
Starting  so  violently  that  he  let  fall  the  box  of 
cigarettes,  he  turned. 

Mrs.  Harris,  in  high  dudgeon,  walked  in,  fol 
lowed  by  Beth. 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  XV 

WHEN  Mrs.  Brooks  found  herself  alone  in 
the  street  she  walked  along  mechan 
ically,  stunned  by  what  had  just  oc 
curred.  Her  heart  seemed  to  be  pressed  down  by 
a  weight,  and  her  breath  came  painfully  through 
her  contracted  throat.  She  could  not  believe  that 
what  she  had  gone  through  was  real.  The  thing 
was  so  monstrous,  so  utterly  inconceivable.  Her 
husband,  Joe,  for  love  of  whom  she  had  given  up 
a  life  of  ease,  for  whom  she  had  borne  cheerfully 
the  trials  of  poverty,  in  whom  she  had  placed  her 
entire  faith — this  man,  to  whom  she  had  yielded 
herself  trustingly,  in  whom,  up  to  that  hour,  she 
had  believed  as  the  soul  of  honor,  had  stood  ex 
posed  as  a  thief  and  a  liar.  There  had  not  been  one 
word  of  truth  in  the  stories  he  had  told  her  of 
how,  through  perseverance  and  efficiency,  he  had 
won  recognition,  with  its  prize  of  enlarged  means. 
And  as  a  climax  he  had  thrown  off  all  dissimu 
lation  and  shown  that  he  was  rotten  to  the  core, 
177 


PAID    IN    FULL 

of  a  cowardice  that  was  the  most  contemptible 
with  which  humankind  could  be  debased,  that  his 
soul  had  sunk  to  the  lowest  slime  layer  in  the 
manure  pit  of  moral  turpitude.  To  save  himself 
from  the  impending  punishment  of  his  dishonesty 
he  was  willing  to  trade  the  honor  of  his  wife !  To 
maintain  himself  in  the  material  ease  that  his 
thieving  had  brought  them  for  a  few  brief  weeks 
he  wanted  her  to  prostitute  herself  for  money — 
had  entreated  and  threatened  in  his  efforts  to 
force  her  to  do  this  thing!  And  she,  driven  to 
desperation,  had  let  him  arrange  a  rendezvous 
for  her  with  Capt.  Williams  in  the  latter's  rooms ! 

She  stopped  and  leaned  against  a  wall  for 
support.  A  violent  trembling  had  seized  her,  and 
the  street  lights  were  whirling  about  her. 

"  My  God !  "  she  groaned.  "  What  shall  I  do  ? 
What  shall  I  do?" 

The  fit  of  faintness  passed  off  and  she  was  able 
to  collect  her  thoughts  and  consider  the  best 
course  of  action.  When  she  had  undertaken  to 
call  on  Capt.  Williams  at  that  hour  it  was  with 
no  thought  of  lending  herself  to  her  husband's 
hideous  plan.  In  a  vague,  hopeless  way  she  had 
resolved  to  beg  mercy  for  him,  to  see  if  there  was 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

not  some  manner  in  which  atonement  and  resti 
tution  could  be  made — for  she  had  no  idea  as  to 
the  amount  of  his  defalcation — whether  anything 
whatever  could  be  done  to  save  him  from  prison 
and  the  family  from  disgrace.  Now  she  was 
afraid.  If  she  went  to  him  how  could  she  ap 
proach  him — what  could  she  say?  What  would 
he  think  of  her  coming  to  his  rooms,  at  night, 
too?  He  would  think,  and  under  the  circum 
stances  naturally  think,  only  one  thing.  And  she 
would  be  completely  in  the  power  of  this  colossus, 
this  ogre  whom  she  secretly  feared  and  detested, 
who  so  often  had  leered  his  lascivious  admiration 
of  her  when  she  was  powerless  to  resent  it. 

Her  impulse  was  to  turn  from  the  ordeal  and 
fly  from  her  husband,  leaving  him  to  the  fate  he 
merited.  She  could  go  to  her  mother's  home  and 
await  her  return  from  the  theatre.  She  would  at 
least  find  a  refuge  there.  But  in  the  morning 
would  come  the  public  exposure  and  disgrace. 
No,  she  must  make  the  effort,  whatever  the  cost, 
whatever  the  sacrifice. 

Ten  minutes  later  she  was  knocking  at  Capt. 
.Williams' s  apartment. 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

The  door  swung  open  and  the  Captain  stood 
(before  her. 

"  Come  right  in,  Mrs.  Brooks,"  he  invited. 
"I've  been  waiting  for  you." 

"  I  was  delayed  a  little,"  she  said,  timidly. 

"Your  husband  telephoned  that  you  were 
•coming." 

"  Yes— I  know." 

The  words  came  falteringly,  and  she  stood, 
•knowing  not  what  to  say  or  what  to  do. 

"Did  you  meet  Smith?"  he  inquired. 

"Smith?" 

"  Your  friend,  Jimsy.   He  just  left." 

"No— why?" 

"  Must  have  passed  you  in  the  elevator.  It 
does  not  matter.  Won't  you  sit  down?  " 

She  took  the  chair  he  advanced  for  her,  close 
to  the  table. 

"  You  must  excuse  the  looks  of  these  quar 
ters,"  he  went  on.  "  I  am  an  old  bachelor,  you 
know,  and  my  Jap  valet  ain't  allowed  to  dust  up 
or  clean  much.  Knocks  out  all  my  idea  of  ar 
rangements." 

"  It  is  a  quaint  place,"  ventured  Emma. 

"  Yes — lived  here  ever  since  I've  been  in  New 
1 80 


PAID    IN    FULL 

York.  I  fixed  it  up  to  suit  myself.  It  ain't  what 
you'd  call  exactly  pretty,  but  as  I'm  the  only  one 
to  be  pleased  I  guess  it'll  do." 

"  Almost  a  curiosity  shop,"  she  commented, 
surveying  the  room  with  a  good  deal  of  nervous 
ness. 

"  Yes — stuff  I've  collected  from  time  to  time 
while  I  was  at  sea.  Got  about  everything  I  ever 
wanted  to  keep,  from  the  wheel  of  my  first 
schooner  down  to  spears  from  head-hunters. 
There's  models  of  boats  and  a  lot  of  stuff.  You: 
see,  I  call  this  my  main  cabin — sort  of  grand 
salon.  Over  there  I  bunk  with  my  crew — just  one 
Jap — and  the  galley's  to  the  rear.  In  them  rooms 
Sato  gets  my  breakfast,  steals  my  loose  change 
and  lies  most  of  the  time.  Got  another  room  over 
there.  Seldom  use  that — got  it  fixed  up  nice  and 
civilized.  Guess  that's  why  I  ain't  feeling  com 
fortable  if  I  try  it." 

These  details  were  of  no  interest  to  Mrs. 
Brooks,  who  desired  only  to  bring  the  interview 
to  an  end  as  speedily  as  possible. 

"I  came  right  up — asked  the  elevator  boy. 
Perhaps  I  should  have  asked  at  the  office  ?  "  she 
Said. 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Not  at  all,"  he  answered,  in  a  manner  in 
tended  to  be  reassuring.  "  I  have  my  own  way  in 
this  place.  I  got  the  money  to  pay  for  what  I 
want,  and  there  ain't  no  one  in  this  hotel  asking 
me  any  '  if,'  '  and  '  or  '  but.'  " 

"  No  one  knew  me.  I  didn't  care  that  they 
should  hear  my  name." 

"  It's  nobody's  business.  What  I'm  entitled  to, 
I'm  entitled  to;  and  so  long  as  I  pay  the  money 
no  one  else  can  interfere  with  the  way  I  run  my 
ship." 

"  Still  a  woman — at  this  hour." 

"  Makes  no  difference — although  you  are  the 
first  lady  to  call  on  me,  night  or  day." 

'*  You  mean  that  no  woman  has  ever  been  in 
here  before?" 

"  I  said  the  '  first  lady.'  " 

Mrs.  Brooks  shuddered  and  instinctively  she 
glanced  towards  th*  door. 

"  You  have  a  telephone  here,  haven't  you,  Cap 
tain?"  she  asked. 

"  Right  over  there  by  the  door,"  he  said,  point 
ing  to  it.  "  Want  to  use  it?  " 

"  Not  now,  thank  you." 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

She  cleared  her  choking  throat  and  staited 
right  in  to  the  business  that  had  brought  her. 

"  Captain  Williams,  since  you  left  us  to-night 
Joe,  Mr.  Brooks,  has  told  me  about  his  difficulty." 

"  So  Smith  said." 

"  That's  what  I  came  to  talk  about." 

"Well,  that  little  matter  can  rest,"  he  said, 
affably.  "  You've  called,  and  it's  the  first  chance 
I've  had  to  speak  to  you  alone." 

"  I  want  to  know  if  there  is  any  way — some 
arrangement " 

"  No  use  in  looking  so  glum  over  a  little  stolen 
money.  I  want  to  show  you  my  quarters." 

"  I  didn't  come  to  see  your  quarters,  Captain. 
I  came  to " 

"  I  don't  care  what  you  came  for,  Mrs.  Brooks," 
he  declared,  with  mastodonian  playfulness.  "  I 
make  it  a  rule  that  everybody  who  drops  in  here, 
man  or  woman,  has  got  to  listen  to  me  spinning 
yarns.  Now " 

Emma  was  becoming  more  and  more  nervous. 

"  I  know  you  will  think  me  rude,  but  I  can't 
delay,"  she  insisted.  "  Joe  is  in  great  trouble,  and 
some  other  time  I'll  hear  the  yarns." 

He  rose  with  mock  dignity. 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  You're  on  my  ship,  Mrs.  Brooks.  Please  re 
member  every  captain  is  master  of  his  ship,  and 
if  you  don't  listen  and  like  it,  mind  you,  I  say 
like  it,  I'll  clap  you  in  double  irons  for  mutiny." 

"  Captain  Williams,"  she  pleaded,  "  I  am  sure 

that  you  would  not  displease " 

i  "This  little  fore-and-after,  Mrs.  Brooks,"  he 
broke  in,  picking  up  the  model  of  the  ship  on  the 
mantel,  "  is  a  model  of  the  Sally  Moran,  my  first 
command  out  of  'Frisco.  That's  her  wheel  up 
there  over  the  door.  She  laid  the  cornerstone  of 
my  fortune,  but  she  taught  me  how  to  fight  and 
have  nerve.  Took  her  up  into  the  North  Pacific 
sealing,  and  then  down  on  the  Japanese  coast. 
Had  a  crew  who  wouldn't  adorn  any  high-back 
rover  Captain  Kidd  ever  could  wish  for.  If  there 
was  any  good  in  that  schooner  God  must  'a'  saw 
it  first  and  hit  it." 

To  humor  him  she  had  advanced  to  the  mantel. 

"  And  is  that  where  you  got  your  awful  repu 
tation?"  she  inquired. 

The  bushy  eyebrows  came  down  until  the  lids 
•were  hidden,  and  his  eyes,  shining  like  live  coals, 
were  alone  visible  as  he  directed  his  gaze  upon 
her. 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Just  how  bad  is  that '  awful  reputation/  Mrs. 
Brooks?" 

"  They  say,"  she  returned,  meeting  his  gaze 
steadily,  "  that  you  have  no  heart,  no  pity  in  you; 
that  you'd  kill  a  man  in  those  days  with  as  little 
feeling  as  I  would  kill  a  mosquito." 

"  Well,  I  guess  the  reason  you'd  kill  a  mos 
quito  isn't  because  it's  just  a  mosquito,  and  that 
you'd  like  to  kill  it,  but  because  you're  afraid  it 
will  bite  you.  Ain't  it?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  had  men,  Mrs.  Brooks,  who,  if  you  let  'em 
go  too  far,  they'd  bite,  and  if  you  let  'em  bite  too 
deep  they'd  kill.  Them  were  the  early  days  of 
sealers.  It  was  a  hard  life  and  it  made  hard  men. 
I  ain't  any  better,  but  I  guess  I  ain't  no  worse, 
than  lots  of  others  would  be  fixed  just  as  I  was  at 
that  time." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  Captain,"  she 
declared,  seizing  the  opportunity.  "  It  opens  the 
way  for  the  business  I  came  on." 

"Business?" 

"  Yes,  business." 

"  But  it's  after  business  hours,  Mrs.  Brooks, 
and  I  ain't  half  spun  my  yarn.  Now,  over  here  I 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

want  to  show  you  a  couple  of  spears  I  got  from  a 
lot  of  head-hunters  down  in  the  Malay  Archi 
pelago.  You  may  not  know  where  that  is,  but 
I've  always  had  an  idea  it's  where  God  battened 
down  the  devil  after  that  first  big  row  they  had 
you  read  about  in  the  Bible.  I  was  going  ashore, 
seeing  what  was  doing,  when  this  crew  of  niggers 
come  down  on  us  like  a  squall.  We  had  an  awful 
time  getting  back  to  the  boats,  I  tell  you.  We 
were  some  cut  up,  and  all  I  got  out  of.  the  ex 
pedition  was  one  of  the  big  chief's  wives." 

He  looked  into  Mrs.  Brooks's  eyes. 

"  Took  her  back  to  'Frisco  with  me,"  he  added. 
"  Women  were  scarce  in  them  times — good-look 
ing  ones." 

"  You  took  her  away  from  where  she  be 
longed?"  questioned  Emma,  slowly  and  in 
credulously. 

"  She  was  willing  to  go.  No  one  ever  beat  her 
about  the  ship  and  she  lived  pretty  much  as  she 
wanted.  Three  meals  a  day  and  no  hard  work." 

"  What  became  of  her  ?  " 

"  Died.     I  guess  from  overeating.     You  see 
them  two  little  anchors  that  chair's  made  of?" 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

But  she  had  recoiled  from  him,  shuddering 
with  horror  and  aversion. 

"  She  died  from  overeating?  "  she  interrogated. 
"Have  there  been  many  of  those?" 

"  No.  I  learned  a  lesson.  I  put  the  rest  on  a 
diet." 

He  seemed  to  think  that  this  was  particularly; 
clever  and  humorous,  for  he  burst  into  a  loud 
guffaw. 

Emma  did  not  laugh.  She  was  more  disgusted 
and  apprehensive  than  ever. 

The  clock  struck  eleven. 

"Did  you  hear  that?"  she  said.  "I  must  in 
sist  that  you  let  me  talk  over  what  I  came  here 
for." 

"  Eleven !  It  ain't  late,"  he  replied,  coaxingly. 
"  Would  you  like  a  little  something  to  drink  ?  It's 
'hot  to-night." 

"  No,  I  thank  you." 

"  You  can  have  it  just  as  well  as  not.*' 

"  I  don't  care  for  it." 

"All  right,  only  I  thought  I  might  get  it  for 
you.  You  see,  when  I  heard  you  were  coming: 
here  I  sent  my  Jap  away." 

"Why?" 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  What  he  don't  know  won't  hurt  him." 

"  Is  there  anything,  Captain,  you're  afraid  he'll 
find  out?"  she  demanded,  frigidly. 

"  Sit  down.  There,  opposite  me.  I  was  only 
thinking  of  you." 

"  Joe  has  stolen  some  money  from  you." 

"Too  bad!   Too  bad!" 

"How  much  is  it?" 

"  What  do  you  want  to  know  for?  " 

"  I  am  his  wife.  It  is  my  business  to  know." 

"  There  you  go,  talking  business  again ! "  he 
protested,  trying  to  be  gallant  and  throwing  an 
ogling  glance  at  her.  "  I  so  seldom  have  the 
pleasure  of  your  company,  Mrs.  Brooks,  that  this 
'  business '  thing  knocks  all  the  romance  out  of 
your  visit." 

"  I  didn't  intend  there  should  be  any  romance 
in  it,  Captain  Williams,"  she  retorted,  stiffly. 

"  Mrs.  Brooks,"  he  went  on,  ignoring  the  snub, 
"  a  sailorman  always  finds  romance  in  an  evening 
spent  with  a  pretty  woman.  I  can  remember  well 
when  the  Solly  Moran  put  into  Nagasaki  for 
water  and  fresh  provisions,  a  little  Japanese  girl 
called  on  me  and  I  had  a  terrible  time.  I  wanted 
to  make  things  right  nice  and  pleasant  for  her, 
1 88 


PAID    IN    FULL 

but,  Lord!  she  couldn't  talk  a  word  of  English. 
There  she  sat  all  the  evening,  grinning  and  mak 
ing  signs,  while  I  was  talking  my  head  off  trying 
to  tell  her  how  much  I  loved  her.  All  my  pretty 
speeches  were  lost." 

He  laughed  aloud  as  the  scene  rose  before  his 
mind's  eye. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  meaningly,  with  an  in 
tonation  intended  to  be  tender,  "  when  I  have  a 
girl  like  you,  who  can  understand " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain,"  she  said,  very 
coldly  and  sternly.  "  I  must  tell  you  that  I  did 
not  come  here  to  make  a  social  call.  I  never  came 
to  a  place  like  this,  at  a  time  like  this,  to  talk  to 
a  man  like  you  before  in  my  life." 

His  lower  jaw  advanced  and  his  piggish  eyes 
contracted.  He  threw  off  his  too  amiable  de 
meanor.  His  voice  became  harsh  and  cruel  as  his 
natural  brutality  asserted  itself. 

"A  man  like  me,  eh?"  he  rasped.  "That's 
pretty  hard  language,  Mrs.  Brooks." 

"  Please  forgive  me  and  let  me  talk." 

"  If  you  didn't  come  here  to  see  me  sort  ol 
socially,  what  did  you  come  for  ?  " 

"  About  Joe,  my  husband." 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

"What  about  him?" 

"  I  asked  you  the  amount  of  the  defalcation." 

"You  said  it  was  your  business.  Well,  it's 
more  than  sixteen  thousand  dollars." 

Emma  was  astounded  and  her  heart  sank.  She 
had  not  imagined  that  it  could  be  so  large  a  sum. 

"  Is  that  the  truth  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  ain't  never  been  noted  for  lying." 

"  Captain  Williams,  I've  come  here  to  plead 
with  you  to  save  Joe  and  me  and  my  family  from 
disgrace — to  keep  him  out  of  jail.  You  knew  my 
father,  you  were  in  business  with  him.  You  al 
ways  liked  him  and  knew  he  was  an  honest  man." 

"  He  was  square  in  his  business  dealings  with 
me,  Mrs.  Brooks,  but  that's  not  less  than  every 
man  has  got  to  be  who  ueals  with  me." 

"  I  know  that,"  "he  said,  her  manner  becoming 
supplicating ;  "  I  know  that,  but  you  must  have 
some  respect  for  his  memory — you  must  have 
had  some  affection  for  him  at  the  time — every 
body  had — and  some  pity  for  me  in  this  trouble. 
I  thought  all  these  things  might  soften  you> 
might  open  a  way  to  some  arrangement  that 
would  save  us  from  the  exposure  that  seems  now 
IQC 


PAID    IN    FULL 

bound  to  come  to-morrow  morning.     Isn't  there 
some  way  out  of  it  ?  " 

But  he  was  all  business  now.  He  had  satisfied 
himself  that  he  had  wasted  his  time  with  her. 

"  Have  you  got  the  money?  "  he  snapped. 

"  No." 

"  Then  what's  your  proposition? " 

"  I  have  none,"  she  confessed,  hopelessly, 
hanging  her  head. 

"  Humph ! "  he  grunted,  settling  himself  in  his 
chair. 

"  I  thought — I  thought  you  might  be  a  little 
more  charitable  and  suggest  some  way,"  she 
murmured. 

"  Your  husband  sent  you  here,  didn't  he?" 

"  Yes." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  " 

"  Told  me  I  might  have  some  influence  with 
you." 

"  Put  the  blame  on  you  for  stealing  the  money, 
'didn't  he?" 

"  How  did  you  know  that?  " 

She  raised  her  head  and  looked  at  him  in  sur 
prise. 

"  I  know  the  man.  Didn't  he  ?  " 
191 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"Yes." 

"  Told  you,  didn't  he,  that  you  could  fix  it  up 
with  me  to  call  everything  off?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  what  he  said,"  she  admitted, 
wonderingly. 

"  And  I  suppose  he  said  that  if  you  didn't  come 
you'd  have  to  take  the  blame  for  him  going  to 
the  penitentiary?" 

"  It — it  was  some-thing  like  that." 

"  Didn't  happen  to  mention,  did  he,  that  he 
thought  I  liked  you  pretty  well  ?  " 

"Y-yes,"  she  stammered,  now  utterly  bewil 
dered."  I — I  think  that  was  part  of  what  he  said." 

"  Didn't  forget  that,  eh?  Well,"  he  continued, 
looking  once  more  straight  into  her  eyes  and 
putting  the  issue  squarely  to  her.  "  I'm  here  and 
you're  here.  That  part  seems  all  right.  What 
have  you  got  to  say?" 

She  sustained  his  gaze  bravely  and  answered, 
though  with  no  hope  in  her  heart : 

"  Is  there  any  honorable  way  in  which  I  can 
help  him?" 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  '  honorable? ' ' 

Emma  lost  all  patience.  Her  nerves  that  had 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

been  under  such  severe  strain  were  getting  be 
yond  control.  She  rose,  flushing  angrily : 

"  You  know  what  I  mean  by  '  honorable ! ' 
You  know  what  any  good  woman  means  when 
she  says  '  honorable.'  You're  beating  about  the 
bush,  Captain  Williams.  If  you  want  to  come  to 
the  point,  come  to  it,  and  come  to  it  quickly.  I 
am  going  home." 

"  Now  you're  talking,  my  lass,"  he  said,  grimly, 
getting  up  also,  "  and  I'll  talk  right  back  to  you. 
If  I  took  your  opinion  of  me  and  that  of  your 
thieving  husband  I  wouldn't  have  to  talk.  I'd  tell 
you  in  plain  words  that  if  you  wanted  to  go  to 
San  Francisco  with  me  I'd  take  a  chance  on  the 
overeating  and  wouldn't  put  you  on  a  diet  like  I 
put  the  rest.  What  would  you  do  then?  W'hat  if 
I  did  make  the  proposition  that's  in  your  mind 
and  was  in  the  mind  of  that  sneaking  husband  of 
yours  when  he  tried  to  put  you  on  the  bargain 
counter  and  send  you  over  to  me  to  see  if  I'd  put 
the  price  up  to  sixteen  thousand?  What  if  I 
looked  you  over  and  was  pleased  and  thought 
you  cheap  at  that  figure?  You  say  I've  killed 
men.  Yes,  I  have — wrung  their  heads  off  with 
this  hand  like  you'd  sling  a  chicken  in  the  air. 
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1JAID    IN    FULL 

You  came  here  for  a  purpose.  You  ain't  no  child. 
What  if  I  am  the  beast  and  the  brute  you  say  I 
am?  What'll  you  do  then?  I  said  you  was  the 
first  lady  to  come  in  here.  Maybe  I  made  a  mis 
take,  but  if  I  did  I'll  find  it  out  before  you  leave 
this  room,  you  understand?  I've  talked — now 
you  talk." 

Her  reply  came  with  withering  scorn : 

"  Now  I  know  that  you're  everything  people 
say  you  are." 

"  All  right,"  he  said,  making  a  step  toward 
her.  "  If  I  am  what  everybody  says  I  am — what 
you  think  I  am — you  know  what  to  expect  and  I 
'don't  need  to  talk." 

The  peril  of  her  situation  roused  her  to  des 
peration,  and  with  it  came  the  courage  despera 
tion  sometimes  imparts,  the  courage  that  im 
pels  a  defenseless  animal  hunted  into  a  corner 
from  which  there  is  no  escape  to  turn  and  fight 
for  its  life. 

"You  think  I'm  afraid  of  you?"  she  cried, 
throwing  up  her  head  and  clenching  the  hands  at 
her  sides.  "  I  tell  you  I'm  not.  We've  been  too 
long  at  cross  purposes.  What  you  want  me  to  do 
I  know;  what  my  husband  sent  me  for  I  know. 
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You  can  be  the  beast  and  the  brute  that  you  are ; 
he  can  be  the  contemptible  cur  that  he  is.  He  can 
offer  me  for  sale  and  you  can  stand  ready  to  buy 
me.  But  I've  got  something  to  say  about  it,  and 
I  desire  you  to  know  that  if  I  wanted  to  place  my 
self  on  the  market,  as  you  say,  I  couldn't !  You 
disgust  me,  but  I  shan't  shirk — and  I  am  not 
afraid  of  you  or  of  him  or  of  anyone.  Here !  " 

She  turned  quickly,  locked  the  door,  threw  the 
key  at  his  feet  and  confronted  him  unflinchingly 
again. 

"  There's  the  key  to  your  room.  The  door  is 
locked  and  I  am  alone  with  you.  You  kill  men? 
You  wring  their  necks  ?  Well,  Captain  Williams, 
here's  your  first  chance  to  kill  a  woman,  for  that's 
just  exactly  what  you'll  have  to  do ! " 

She  saw  the  glare  in  the  little  savage  optics 
under  the  beetling  brows  fade  out,  to  be  replaced 
by  a  gleam  of  admiration,  not  the  covetous  ad 
miration  of  her  shapely,  panting  form,  of  her 
handsome,  resolute  face,  but  honest  admiration 
of  the  pure  soul  that  shone  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  knew  you  were  that  kind  of  a  woman,"  he 
said,  thankfulness  and  real  tenderness  in  his 
voice.  "  If  you  hadn't  done  just  what  you  did  I'd 
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'a'  been  the  most  disappointed  man  in  the  world." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  I  mean,"  he  continued,  almost  reverently, 
"  that  I  banked  on  you  being  good,  and  you  are 
good.  I  know  women — I've  bought  mine  all  over 
the  world,  from  Hindoos  to  niggers.  But  I  paid 
for  'em  and  they  was  always  willing  to  sell.  There 
ain't  but  two  kinds,  the  good  and  the  bad,  and 
there's  no  half  way.  When  they're  bad  they're 
bad  through  and  through  and  can't  be  good,  and 
when  they're  good  they  can't  be  bad,  and  they're 
next  to  heaven.  I  figured  you  good,  and  if  you 
hadn't  been  it  would  have  hit  me  and  hit  me  hard. 
You're  safer  here,  young  woman,  than  with  your 
mother,  because  I'd  fight  for  you,  and  don't  for 
get  I  can  wring  men's  necks  like  chickens'." 

Emma  could  not  comprehend  it. 

"  I  don't  understand  you,"  she  faltered. 

"  Maybe  you  mean  you  don't  believe  me,"  he 
said,  going  to  the  table  and  taking  the  paper  he 
had  written  upon  and  then  slipped  between  the 
pages  of  one  of  the  magazines.  "  Here.  I've  had 
this  waiting  for  you.  Read  it." 

She  made  no  motion  to  take  it  from  his  hand. 
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"Well,  I'll  read  it  for  you,"  he  said.  "  It's  a3- 
rlressed  to  that  husband  of  yours : 

"  *  Your  resignation   is  accepted.     I  wish   to 
thank  you  for  your  services  and  to  assure  you 
that   your   accounts    with    the    Latin-American 
Steamship    Company    have    been    audited    and   •*• 
found  to  be  correct.' 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Brooks  if  you'd  acted  in  any  way 
but  what  you  did  you  wouldn't  have  got  this ;  but 
I  knew  you  were  good,  and  you  are  good." 

He  added  with  deep  feeling,  holding  out  the 
paper  to  her  again : 

"  It's  worth  that  much  to  me,  and  a  lot  more, 
to  have  a  good  woman  for  a  sort  of  daughter. 
Take  it." 

This  time  she  accepted  it,  mechanically. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  Williams,"  she  said. 

The  words  came  in  a  whisper,  almost  inaudibly. 

She  tried  to  read  the  writing,  but  tears  in  her 
feyes  blurred  her  sight. 

"  You  know,  Mrs.  Brooks,"  said  Williams,  in  a 
light  tone  and  his  usual  voice,  seating  himself  in 
his  chair  and  looking  away  from  her,  "  before  we 
got  to  discussing  this  business  I  was  telling  you 
about  the  Sally  Moran,  my  first  ship.  Now,  that 
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ship — hear    me    say    ship?    She    was    only    a 
schooner " 

She  walked  up  to  him  and  interrupted  him, 
smiling  gratefully  through  her  tears. 

"What  can  I  do  now,  Captain?  "  she  asked. 

The  telephone  bell  rang  as  she  spoke. 

"  You  might  answer  the  'phone,"  he  told  her. 
"  I'm  getting  almighty  lazy." 

She  did  so. 

"  It's  Jimsy — Mr.  Smith,"  she  announced. 

"  I  kind  o'  thought  that  fellow'd  be  nosing 
around  instead  of  going  to  Boston,"  he  solilo 
quized.  "  What's  the  trouble  ?  " 

"  He's  downstairs  and  wants  to  know  if  he  can 
come  up." 

"Sure  he  can!" 

"  Yes,  come  up,  Jimsy,"  she  called. 

The  Captain  stroked  his  face  thoughtfully. 

"When  you  let  him  in  you  sort  o'  smile  and 
look  into  his  face,"  he  said  "  He's  a  kind  of  an 
old  baby,  Smith  is,  and  it  does  him  a  lot  of  good."1 

"  I  always  smile  at  Jimsy,"  she  replied.  "  No 
one  could  help  that,  could  they?" 

"  He  is  an  amusing  cuss,"  he  conceded. 

He  reached  for  the  tin  of  tobacco. 
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"  You  don't  mind  if  I  smoke,  do  you?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  I'd  mind  if  you  committed 
arson." 

"  It's  too  hot  to  burn  up  everything,"  he 
laughed.  "  Besides,  there's  a  lot  of  folks  say  I'll 
get  enough  fire  after  my  will's  read." 

"They  don't  know  you,  that's  the  trouble," 
she  said,  the  thankful  tears  welling  to  her  eyes 
again  as  she  looked  at  him. 

"  Smith  ain't  particular  quick  about  getting 
here,  is  he?"  he  remarked,  changing  the  subject. 
"  After  all  he  said  you'd  expect  him  to  be  a  reg 
ular  hero  and  drop  in  from  the  ceiling." 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"That's  telling,"  he  added,  puffing  stolidly  at 
his  pipe.  "  You're  going  to  have  a  hard  time  let 
ting  that  man  in  if  you  don't  find  the  key  you 
threw  around  so  careless  like." 

She  picked  up  the  key  and  unlocked  the  door. 
As  she  did  so  Smith  knocked,  and  she  let  him  in. 
He  looked  keenly  at  her  as  she  smiled  up  into  his 
face  and  he  took  the  hand  she  extended. 

"  We've  been  waiting  for  you,  Jimsy,"  she  said. 

A  glad  light  came  into  his  own  eyes. 
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"  Emma,"  he  observed,  "  I  think  that's  the 
prettiest  smile  I  ever  saw  you  smile." 

"  Hello,  Smith,  ain't  going  to  Boston  to-night, 
eh?  "  queried  the  Captain. 

"  No,  I  guess  them  docks  will  be  there  to-mor 
row,"  he  replied. 

He  drew  his  revolver,  extracted  the  cartridges 
with  even  more  than  ordinary  deliberation  and 
threw  them  on  the  table. 

"  I  just  thought  I'd  take  the  pegs  out  of  the 
heel  of  that  shoe  we  were  discussing  some  time 
since  and  hand  'em  to  you  as  souvenirs,"  he  re 
marked. 

"  Thank  you,"  was  the  dry  rejoinder. 

"  I'd  give  you  the  whole  darn  shoe,"  added 
Jimsy,  with  heartiness,  "  only  a  fellow  never  can 
tell  when  he's  going  to  have  another  sore  foot." 

"  The  trouble  with  you  is,  Smith,  your  foot 
hurts  you  before  you  stub  your  toe,"  commented 
Williams. 

"  I  guess  that's  right,"  he  avowed.  "  Ready  to 
go  home,  Emma?" 

"  You  wait  for  me  a  moment,  Jimsy,  I  want  to 
speak  to  the  Captain,"  she  said. 
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"All  right,"  he  responded,  going1  outside  to 
ring  up  the  elevator. 

"  Captain,  this  paper — shall  I  give  it  to  him?" 
she  inquired. 

"Who,  Brooks?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  would.    It  clears  you." 

"And  you?    How  can  I  thank  you?" 

"  Don't  mind  me.  Only  some  time  when  you 
get  settled  down  and  are  living  happy  again,  in 
vite  me  up  to  tea — let  me  put  on  my  slippers  and 
smoke  my  pipe  in  the  parlor." 

"  Indeed  I  will.    Good  night." 

"And,  Emma,"  he  added,  ere  she  had  reached 
the  door,  "  I  suppose  I  can  call  you  Emma  now, 
can't  I?" 

"  Always." 

"  Pay  a  lot  of  attention  to  that  fellow  Smith. 
He's  an  awful  good  friend  of  yours." 

"  I've  found  that  out  to-night,"  she  answered. 
"  Good  night." 

"  Good  night,  Emma." 

When  she  had  gone  the  old  man  sat  for  some 
time,  smoking  his  pipe  meditatively.  Finally  he 
off  his  slippers,  rose,  stretched  himself,  sat 

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'down  again,    smiled   and   uttered    his   thoughts 
aloud. 

"  Well,  Captain  Bill,"  he  told  himself  "  I  guess 
you've  paid  up  a  part  of  that  deficit  you've  owed 
decency  for  such  a  long  time," 


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CHAPTER  XVI 

OH,  there  you  are!" 
Mrs.  Harris  stood  glaring  at  her  son- 
in-law  as  who  should  say,  "  Ah !  Jacker- 
snaps,  I've  caught  you,  have  I?  " 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  to  meet  us,"  said 
Beth,  with  a  toss  of  her  head. 

"  We  waited  until  every  one  had  left  the  the 
atre,"  snorted  her  mother,  flopping  into  a  chair 
and  fanning  herself  vigorously. 

"  I'm  sorry.  I  forgot,"  explained  Brooks,  who 
this  time  spoke  the  truth. 

"  Forgot !  Forgot !   That's  a  nice  excuse !  " 

"  I  didn't  realize  it  was  so  late." 

"You  have  a  watch,  haven't  you?  There  are 
clocks  in  existence !  " 

"  I  know  it's  my  fault." 

"  We  looked  all  over  for  you,"  chimed  in  Beth. 

"  I  said  I  was  sorry,"  he  snapped.  "  I've  been 
worried  about  something  else." 

"Just  spoiled  the  whole  evening,  leaving  us 
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there  to  be  insulted  by  a  lot  of  men,"  declared 
Mrs.  Harris. 

"  No  one  spoke  to  you?  " 

"  Yes.  When  we  were  standing  in  front  of  the 
theatre,  waiting  for  you,  a  snip  of  a  boy  came  up 
to  me  and  said, '  Hello,  little  one,  aren't  you  lone 
some?'" 

"  Why,  I  thought  he  spoke  to  me ! "  affirmed 
Beth. 

Her  mother  looked  at  her  indignantly. 

"  No,  he  didn't,"  she  retorted,  with  asperity. 
"  I  guess  I  know  when  I'm  spoken  to.  The  very 
idea!" 

Brooks  requested  to  be  informed  as  to  what 
she  had  done  in  this  trying  situation.  She  replied 
that  she  had  taken  Beth  by  the  arm  and  run  as 
fast  as  she  could  until  she  had  found  a  policeman. 

"  And  he  was  almost  as  bad,"  she  added. 

"  When  mother  told  him  some  one  had  called 
her  a  little  one  he  grinned  and  walked  away,"  said 
Beth,  maliciously. 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry  I  wasn't  there,"  asserted 
Brooks,  in  a  tone  of  weariness. 

"  So  am  I,"  returned  Mrs.  Harris.  "  But  that 
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doesn't  help  matters.    My  nerves  are  all  gone." 

"  Where's  Emma  ?  "  inquired  Beth. 

He  told  her  that  she  had  gone  out  for  a  few 
minutes. 

"Who  with?"  demanded  Mrs.  Harris 
promptly. 

"  I  think  she  went  alone." 

"  You  think  she  went  alone  ?  Don't  you  know  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  do  know.  Suppose  she  did  go  alone 
— what  difference  does  it  make  ?  " 

"What  difference  does  it  make?  I  don't  see 
how  you  dare  let  your  wife  go  out  alone  in  this 
part  of  New  York  at  this  time  of  night." 

"  Emma  will  be  all  right,"  opined  Beth.  "  She's 
different." 

"  Different?  She  runs  just  as  much  risk  as  we 
do." 

"  Well,  nobody  stole  you,"  growled  Joe,  "  so  I 
guess  Emma'll  get  home  safely." 

"Where  did  she  go?" 

"  I  said  she  went  out;  that's  enough." 

"Out?  Out  where?" 

"  Emma  was  called  out  on  a  little  business,"  he 
said  savagely.  "  She  should  have  been  home  be 
fore  this.  Something  has  probably  detained  her. 
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That's  all  I  know  about  it.  If  she  wants  to  tell 
you  more  when  she  comes  that's  her  business,  not 
mine." 

"  I  certainly  do  not  approve  of  her  being  out 
without  a  proper  escort.  It  isn't  ladylike." 

"  You  can  talk  to  her  about  that.  If  she  wants 
to  go  I  suppose  she  will  without  your  permission. 
How  was  the  play,  Beth?  " 

"  Oh,  it  was  simply  great ! "  cried  the  girl,  en 
thusiastically.  "  And  the  handsomest  man !  I 
just  raved  over  him ! " 

"  Beth,"  reprehended  her  mother  with  a 
shocked  air,  "  I  don't  think  it  right  to  '  rave  '  over 
actors.  It's  all  very  well  for  them  to  be  romantic 
on  the  stage,  but  when  I  was  a  girl  they  were  al 
ways  kept  in  their  places." 

"  You  told  me  that  when  you  were  a  girl  you 
never  went  to  a  theatre,"  she  retorted. 

"  I  didn't.  But  I  used  to  hear  about  them,  and 
the  papers  are  full  now  of  actors  and  actresses 
who  seem  to  do  nothing  but  get  divorced  and 
have  their  pictures  printed." 

"  Don't  worry — I  haven't  sent  him  any  notes. 
I  wonder  where  Emma  is?" 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Brooks,  who  was  becoming 
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nervous  again.  "  She's  been  gone  long  enough 
to  get  back.  It's  after  eleven." 

"  What  I  want  to  know  is,  where  did  she  go  ?  " 
insisted  her  mother. 

Brooks  turned  upon  her,  and  an  oath  almost 
escaped  him  as  he  snarled : 

"  You  want  to  know  a  good  many  things,  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  a  man  and  his  wife  can  have 
some  privacy.  I  told  you  she  went  on  business. 
If  she  wants  to  tell  you,  all  right;  but  don't  try 
to  mother-in-law  it  out  of  me ! " 

The  entrance  of  Emma  and  Smith  stopped  on 
Mrs.  Harris's  lips  the  wrathful  retort  that  had 
risen  to  them.  She  rose  and  greeted  her  daugh 
ter  with  an  air  of  maternal  solicitude. 

"  Ah,  there  you  are,  dear !  Where  have  you 
been?  We've  been  so  worried." 

"  I  am  a  little  late." 

"  We  were  wondering  about  you,  and  Joe 
wouldn't  tell,"  said  Beth. 

Smith  reassured  them. 

"  I  was  taking  care  of  Emma  all  right,"  he 
declared.  "  You  see,  I'm  a  sort  of  utility  man 
with  the  ladies — always  trailing  along  in  the  rear, 
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ready  to  touch  my  cap  and  do  all  the  chores  and 
errands  necessary." 

Emma  had  taken  no  notice  of  her  husband, 
whose  eyes  from  the  moment  of  her  appearance 
had  been  glued  avidly  upon  her.  There  was  noth 
ing  in  her  demeanor  to  indicate  that  she  had 
succeeded.  Indeed,  she  appeared  haggard  and 
worn  out,  as  she  was,  for  the  emotions  of  the 
night  had  left  her  exhausted  to  the  point  of 
breaking  down.  His  anxiety  and  apprehension 
increased  as  he  marked  her  condition. 

"  Where  did  you  meet  her?"  he  demanded  of 
Smith,  with  an  effort. 

"  On  the  way  home,"  he  answered.  Then, 
turning  to  the  women,  he  inquired. 

"  How  did  you  like  the  play,  Beth?  " 

"  I  thought  it  was  fine,"  she  said.  "  So  did 
mother." 

"  The  play  was  all  right,"  agreed  Mrs.  Harris, 
"  but  the  evening  was  spoilt.  Joe  forgot  to  come 
for  us,  and  since  we've  been  here  he's  been  al 
most  insulting." 

"  I'm  sorry,"  he  said.  "  I  lost  track  of  the 
time.  Besides,  I'm  nervous  and  tired." 

"  It  sure  is  a  hot  night  and  sort  of  takes  the 
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life  out  of  everybody,"  Smith  remarked,  concil- 
iatingly. 

Emma  went  to  Mrs.  Harris  and  put  her  arm 
around  her. 

"  Mother,  I'm  very  tired  to-night,"  she  said, 
appealingly.  "  You  won't  mind  if  I  ask  you  to 
go  home  and  leave  me.  I've  something  to  tell 
you  some  time,  but  I  want  to  be  alone  now." 

"  You  do  look  all  tuckered  out,  Emma,"  com 
mented  Beth. 

"I  am.    You  won't  mind,  will  you,  mother?" 

"  Certainly  not.    I'm  hot  and  sticky  myself." 

"  I'll  take  you  to  the  subway  and  put  you  on 
the  car,"  volunteered  Brooks. 

"  You  needn't  mind,"   declined  Mrs.   Harris. 
k  You're  too  disagreeable  to-night.    If  you  bring 
my  purse  from  Emma's  room  Jimsy  will  take  us, 
won't  you,  Jimsy?" 

"  I'm  still  the  utility  man,"  responded  the  com 
plaisant  Smith,  as  Brooks  went  on  the  errand. 

While  Beth  was  putting  her  mother's  hat 
straight  Mrs.  Brooks  whispered  to  Smith : 

'  Tell  mother  as  much  as  I  told  you  and  then 
come  back." 

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He  nodded. 

"  Come  on,  folks,"  he  said,  as  Brooks  reap* 
peared  with  the  purse.  "  You  know  time  and  the 
subway  wait  for  no  man." 


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CHAPTER  XVII 

TORTURED    by    suspense,    Brooks    stood 
watching  his  wife. 

She  had  sunk  on  to  the  sofa  and  sat 
there,  still  wearing  her  hat,  the  picture  of  weari 
ness  and  sorrow. 

The  color  came  and  went  in  his  sunken  cheeks. 
It  was  certain  from  her  attitude  that  her  mission 
had  failed,  yet  he  feared  to  learn  it  from  her  lips. 

She  gave  no  indication  of  intention  or  desire  to 
break  the  silence,  or  even  that  she  was  aware  of 
his  presence. 

He  could  bear  it  no  longer. 

"  He  wouldn't  do  anything?     It's  all  up?  " 

The  words  escaped  him  tremulously,  in  de 
spairing  tone,  as  though  they  answered  the  in 
terrogation. 

She  did  not  reply,  but  rising  and  drawing  from 
her  bosom  the  paper  Capt.  Williams  had  given 
her,  handed  it  to  him. 

He  took  it  hesitatingly,  almost  fearfully. 

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"Forme?" 

"  For  you." 

As  he  read  it  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face  and 
he  gave  a  sigh  of  immense  relief.  Joyfully  he 
looked  over  to  her,  but  there  was  no  responsive 
exultation.  She  appeared  crushed.  It  might 
have  been  his  death  warrant. 

Doubting  whether  he  had  read  it  aright,  he 
perused  the  acquittal  again,  with  increasing  ex 
ultation. 

"  Emma,  you've  succeeded !  "  he  cried.  "  This 
means  he  won't  prosecute  and  it's  all  right.  You 
made  him  do  it.  You  have  saved  me !  " 

She  nodded  her  acquiesence,  and  he  went  to 
her,  brimming  over  with  relief  and  gratification, 
to  take  her  in  his  arms. 

"  You're  the  best  little  girl  that  ever  happened, 
the  pluckiest " 

Gently  she  pushed  him  from  her. 

"Please  don't,  Joe!" 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?" 

"  I'm  tired — very  tired." 

"  Of  course  you  are,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  con 
cern  and  tenderness.  "  You  sit  down  there.  I'll 
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bet  you  had  a  hard  time.     I  know  what  Williams 
is." 

He  would  have  led  her  to  the  sofa,  but  again 
she  repulsed  him  gently.  He  went  to  the  table 
and  took  up  the  acquittal  he  had  laid  on  it.  . 

"  Found  my  accounts  to  be  correct,"  he  mut 
tered.  "  That  means  he  will  have  the  books  fixed 
up  and  nothing  will  show.  Did  he  say  much 
about  me?" 

"  Not  very  much." 

"  But  I  bet  he  gave  you  an  awful  argument. 
Williams  is  not  an  easy  man  to  get  to  give  in. 
But  here  it  is,  in  black  and  white,  and  he  can't 
go  back  on  this.  Did  you  ask  him  to  put  it  in 
writing?" 

"  No." 

"  Then  he  did  it  of  his  own  accord.  Wonder  if 
he  called  the  detectives  off?  Did  he  say  anything 
about  them  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  But  it's  all  clear  sailing  now,"  he  went  on, 

selfishly  jubilant,  already  planning  for  the  future. 

"  I  can  get  another  position  and  a  better  one. 

There's  enough  money  left  to  give  me  time  to 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

find  one.   Do  you  think  he'll  interfere  any  more, 
Emma?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"What  do  you  think — you  must  have  some 
idea?" 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest." 

"Well,  anyway,  Emma,  you  did  splendidly. 
You  came  right  to  the  front." 

As  he  uttered  the  commendation  he  tried  again 
to  caress  her. 

"  Please  don't,  Joe ! " 

This  time  she  rebuffed  him  sharply  and  moved 
away  from  him. 

"  Oh,  all  right,  if  that's  the  way  you  feel  about 
it!" 

He  turned  from  her  with  an  injured  air,  and, 
lighting  a  cigarette,  began  to  pace  the  room. 
Although  in  his  remorse  during  her  absence  he 
had  resolved  not  to  ask  her  what  had  passed  in 
the  Captain's  rooms,  curiosity,  now  that  his  con 
fidence  had  been  restored  by  the  proof  of  im 
munity,  tormented  his  vicious  mind.  He  was  not 
only  ready,  but  desired  to  know  everything  that 
had  occurred,  even  to  unavowable  details,  if  any 
such  there  were. 

214 


\ 


PLEASH  DON'T,  JOB!" 


Page  214. 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"He  was  there  when  you  arrived?"  he  ques 
tioned,  seeing  that  she  showed  no  disposition  to 
talk. 

"  Yes." 

"Anybody  else?" 

"  He  was  alone." 

"  You  must  have  caught  him  in  a  good  humor. 
He'd  never  have  done  this  in  one  of  his  usual 
grouches.  I  didn't  know  you  were  such  a  dip 
lomat.  What  did  you  say  to  him?" 

"  A  good  many  things." 

"  Didn't  tell  him  I  sent  you,  did  you?" 

"  He  knew." 

"He  knew?  How  did  he  know?  Who  told 
him?" 

"  I  don't  know.    He  just  knew." 

"  Somebody  must  have  told  him,  and  you  were 
the  only  one  who  knew." 

"  No,  he  knew,  too.  I  didn't  tell." 

"  But  how  did  you  open  the  conversation  ?  "  he 
demanded  impatiently.  "What  did  you  say? 
What's  the  matter?  Can't  you  answer  me?  " 

"  I  don't  see  why  I  should." 

"I  do.  I  want  to  know,  and  I've  a  right  to 
know." 

215 


PAID    IN    FULL 

She  vouchsafed  no  reply. 

He  dropped  his  authoritative  tone  and  became 
persuasive. 

"  You  say  he  was  alone  when  you  arrived. 
How  did  he  receive  you?  "  he  coaxed. 

She  remained  silent. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you — what  did  he  do  ?  " 

Still  she  did  not  answer,  but  sat  as  though  in  a 
stupor. 

"  Come,  Emma,  don't  be  contrary.     Tell  all 

that  took  place.    You  know  that  between  us 

Did  he  ask  you  to  kiss  him  ?  " 

"I  wonder  what  time  it  is?"  she  said,  with  a 
shiver,  as  though  she  had  not  heard  him. 

"  Never  mind  the  time.  What  did  he  say  when 
you  asked  him  to  let  me  off?  He  must  have  said 
a  lot.  You  were  gone  long  enough." 

"  Will  you  please  tell  me  what  time  it  is?  " 

"It's  about  eleven-thirty.  What  of  it?  Why 
don't  you  tell  me  what  happened  at  Williams's  ?  " 

She  rose,  still  in  her  stupor  of  weariness. 

"  Good-bye,  Joe,"  she  said. 

"  Good-bye  ?  "  he  echoed,  amazed.  "  Where 
are  you  going  ?  " 

"  To  mother's.    Jimsy's  coming  back  for  me." 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

"You  didn't  say  anything  to  your  mother 
while  she  was  here  about  this?" 

"  That  was  for  your  sake.  Everyone  doesn't 
need  to  know." 

"What  are  you  going  to  your  mother's  for? 
This  is  where  you  belong — your  home.  And 
what's  Jimsy  got  to  do  with  it?  " 

"  I  said  good-bye." 

"What's  the  reason  you  can't  stay  here?  " 

"  You  couldn't  expect  me  to  live  with  you  after 
what  happened  to-night  ?  " 

"Why  not?" 

There  was  consternation  as  well  as  anger  in  his 
voice. 

"  Because  it  is  quite  impossible — you  ought  to 
realize  that." 

"  I  don't  see  why  it  is  impossible.  Everything 
is  all  right  now  unless  you've  got  some  reason 
that  makes  it  impossible." 

"  Yes,  I  think  I've  all  the  reason  in  the  world 
to  make  it  impossible.  I  think  it's  time  for  you 
to  realize  it." 

She  moved  towards  the  door,  but  he  ran  and 
intercepted  her. 

c(  Wait  a  minute ;  you  can't  go  that  way,"  he 
217 


PAID    IN    FULL 

said,  determinedly.     "  You're  my  wife  and  you 
can't  leave  here  without  some  explanation." 

"  I've  no  explanation  to  make,"  she  retorted 
coldly.  "  You  will  please  let  me  go.  I've  done 
my  part  and  it's  my  right  to  leave." 

"  I  tell  you  I  won't  let  you  go  until  you  tell  me 
the  truth.  What  happened  with  Williams  and 
how  did  you  induce  him  to  agree?  " 

"  You've  no  right  to  ask  that.  The  price  I  paid 
for  that  letter  is  none  of  your  business.  You  set 
that  price  at  the  highest  possible  figure  a  woman 
can  pay.  Now,  how  I  bargained  or  what  I  paid 
is  none  of  your  affair." 

"  It  is  my  affair.  I  want  to  know,  and  I  will 
know!" 

"  When  you  sent  me  to  that  man,  Joe  Brooks, 
I  told  you  that  if  I  made  the  bargain  I  was  to 
make  it  alone ;  that  it  was  to  be  my  business  alone 
and  that  I  should  never  be  asked.  You  agreed. 
I've  carried  out  my  part.  You  carry  out  yours. 
I  gave  you  your  freedom.  You  give  me  mine." 

"  There  is  only  one  reason  why  you  should 
leave  here  now,  and  that  is  Williams.  Are  you 
going  back  to  him  ?  " 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

She  stepped  back  from  him  and  swept  him 
with  a  look  of  cold  disdain. 

"  If  there  was  one  thing  left  for  you  to  do  to 
make  you  the  most  contemptible  cad,  you've  done 
it  now,"  she  exclaimed.  "  When  you  sent  me  to 
Williams  I  thought  you'd  sunk  as  low  as  you 
could,  but  I  see  I  was  mistaken.  There  was  a 
depth  that  even  in  my  disgust,  my  loathing  of 
you,  I  never  imagined  existed.  But  now  you've 
reached  it.  I  don't  hate  you.  I  just  pity  you." 

A  gleam  of  fury  glowed  in  his  eyes  under  this 
merciless  castigation,  and  he  moved  towards  her 
menacingly. 

"  That's  not  the  answer  I  want,"  he  said,  harsh 
ly.  "  You're  quibbling.  Tell  me  the  truth  about 
Williams." 

"  You'd  better  let  me  go." 

"  You'll  tell  me  the  truth  about  Williams  be 
fore  you  leave  this  room ! "  he  shouted.  "  Make 
up  your  mind  to  that  now,  because  that's  just 
the  way  it's  going  to  be ! " 

She  realized  that  she  had  gone  too  far  in  her 

denunciation ;  that  his  anger  was  dangerous  and 

that  he  would  stop  at  nothing,  not  even  blows, 

not  even  murder.    He  was  white,  his  teeth  were 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

set  and  on  his  quivering  face  was  an  expression 
of  ferocious  determination  that  warned  her  that 
she  must  temporize  and  appear  to  give  in  to  him. 

"  Very  well,"  she  assented,  turning  from  the 
door.  "  If  that's  the  way  it's  going  to  be  I'm 
perfectly  willing." 

"  Then  answer  me." 

"  I  intend  to  do  that,  but  I  intend  to  do  some 
thing  more  than  merely  answer  that  question.  If 
you  don't  mind  we'd  better  sit  down." 

She  motioned  him  to  a  chair  and  seated  herself 
so  that  the  table  was  between  them. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  she  went  on,  very  calmly, 
"  in  order  to  relieve  your  mind  I  might  tell  you 
that  I  have  done  nothing  to-night  which  can  re 
flect  upon  me  as  a  good  woman.  I  had  no  inten 
tion  of  doing  any  such  thing.  So  far  as  I  can 
find  out  you  are  the  only  person  who  had  my 
degradation  in  mind  and  was  willing  that  it  should 
happen  if  it  resulted  in  your  escaping  the  conse 
quences  of  being  a  thief." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"  I  mean  that  Captain  Williams  did  not  have 
the  slightest  idea  of  putting  a  price  on  your  free- 
'dom  toward  which  I  in  any  way  would  have  to 
220 


PAID    IN    FULL 

contribute.  You  seem  to  be  the  only  one  who 
thought  that  I,  with  all  I  hold  precious,  was  a  fair 
figure  to  offer.  Had  I  gone,  had  he  demanded, 
had  I  submitted  and  brought  back  that  paper  and 
given  myself  to  you  again,  as  well  as  your  free 
dom,  you  would  have  been  contented  and  happy." 

"  You  know  that's  not  true,  Emma,"  he  pro 
tested.  The  white  heat  of  his  ire  had  been  dulled 
by  her  quietness,  and  little  by  little  he  was  be 
coming  cowed. 

"  I  know  it  is  true,  Joe,  and  so  do  you.  I 
wanted  to  go  to  mother  without  having  all  this 
talk,  but  now  that  we  have  to  talk  let's  be  frank 
with  each  other  and  with  ourselves.  And  you  try 
to  appreciate  the  truth  as  much  as  you  are  able. 
To  begin  with,  it  seems  that  I  have  been  alone  in 
not  realizing  how  worthless  you  are.  My  father, 
when  we  were  to  be  married,  warned  me  not  to 
take  you  unless  I  thought  you  indispensable  to 
my  happiness.  You  know  that  everyone  else  put 
it  a  little  more  bluntly.  But  I  thought  I  loved 
you — I'm  sure  I  did.  Now,  it  seems  utterly  be 
yond  belief.  But  then  it  must  have  been  love.  I 
mistook  your  egotism  for  a  deeper  sentiment,  a 
determination  of  purpose,  and  I  thought  in  my 
221 


PAID    IN    FULL 

girlish  way  that  the  things  you  preached  about 
socialism,  the  cruelty  of  the  rich,  and  all  that, 
meant  that  you  were  noble,  self-sacrificing,  even 
brilliant.  Now  I  know  the  difference.  You  fight 
capital?  God  sometimes  is  kind  to  a  fighter,  but 
he  can't  have  much  use  for  a  man  who  whines." 

"  You  believed  me  then,  Emma,"  he  said, 
brokenly,  "you  know  you  did — you  know  you 
did." 

"  That's  the  wonderful  part  of  it.  I've  always 
believed  you  till  to-night,  and  now  I  know  I  never 
should  have  believed  you.  You've  always  been  a 
liar  and  you've  always  been  dishonest  at  heart. 
Your  incompetency,  the  way  you  were  distrusted 
by  your  employers,  I  thought  was  hard  luck,  in 
justice  ;  but  now  I  know  that  you  never  were  and 
never  will  be  the  least  bit  of  good  to  yourself  or 
anyone  else.  You  married  me  to  help  yourself. 
You  tried  to  disgrace  me  to  help  yourself.  I  was 
willing  to  meet  the  situation,  but  you  couldn't, 
and  to-night  you  wanted  to  sell  me  to  help  your 
self.  I  pity  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I 
think  I've  told  you  the  reason  why  I  cannot  live 
with  you  any  longer." 

She  rose.  He  raised  his  head  that  had  sunk 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

upon  his  hand  during  this  dispassionate  exposi 
tion  of  his  worthlessness  and  pusillanimity,  this 
laying  bare  to  him  of  his  own  heart,  and  rose  also. 

"  Emma,"  he  supplicated,  humbly,  "  it  will  all 
be  different.  Let  me  start  out  again.  Give  me 
another  chance.  I'll  never  lie  to  you  again  and 
I'll  never  take  a  cent  that  isn't  my  own.  I 
promise  you  I  won't." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will.  You  can't  help  it.  Captain 
Williams  told  me  to-night  that  a  woman  who  was 
good  couldn't  be  bad,  and  a  woman  who  was  bad 
couldn't  be  good.  It's  that  way  with  men.  One 
who  is  inherently  honest  could  never  be  dis 
honest,  and  one  who  is  inherently  dishonest  could 
never  be  honest.  You  are  both  a  thief  and  a  liar 
and  there  is  no  hope  for  you.  You've  struck  the 
downward  path  and  you'll  keep  on  going  until 
the  end.  If  you  ever  had  a  chance  it  was  with  me, 
and  you've  thrown  it  away.  I'm  sorry,  more 
sorry  than  I  can  tell.  Good-bye." 

He  leaped  to  the  door,  which  she  was  about  to 
open,  and  placed  his  hand  against  it. 

"  Emma,  you  mustn't  go — you  can't  go — I  will 
not  let  you  go." 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  I  will  go,  and  I  request  that  you  will  open  the 
door,"  she  said,  firmly. 

She  grasped  the  handle,  but  he  put  out  his  arm 
and  forced  her  away. 

"  Enough  of  this  tomfoolery !  "  he  cried,  with  a 
savage  scowl,  following  her  up  menacingly  as  she 
staggered  back.  "  I'm  your  husband ;  I  order 
you  to  stay  here,  and  here  you'll  stay ! " 

"  It  only  remained  for  you  to  strike  me !  "  she 
gasped. 

"  Strike  you !  I'll  strangle  you  if  you  ever  dare 
to  try  to  speak  to  me  again  as  you  have  done  this 
night.  I've  borne  with  you  and  humored  you  and 
put  up  with  your  insults  too  long.  What  I  did 
was  for  you,  and  you  know  it.  What  you  did, 
about  which  you  are  giving  yourself  such  airs,  is 
no  more  than  any  wife  would  do  for  a  husband! 
who'd  acted  as  I  did.  That's  all  there  is  to  it,  and 
I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more  about  it,  now  or 
at  any  other  time.  I'm  master  in  this  house,  and 
I'm  going  to  remain  master." 

"You  are  not  my  master,  and  you  can't 
frighten  me  with  your  threats,"  she  retorted. 
"  Open  the  door  this  instant !  " 

He  grasped  her  roughly  by  the  arm. 
224 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"You  take  your  hat  off  and  go  to  bed,"  he 
ordered,  pushing  her  towards  the  bedroom. 
"  That's  the  best  place  for  you." 

"Never!"  she  panted,  wrenching  herself  free 
and  grasping  a  vase  on  the  table  to  defend  her 
self  with,  "  If  you  make  one  step  towards  me, 
you  coward,  I'll  scream  for  help." 

Rushing  at  her,  he  seized  her  by  the  throat  and 
hurled  her  on  the  sofa.  His  fingers  tightened 
their  grip,  choking  all  utterance. 

"  You  will  leave  me,  will  you ! "  he  cried,  shak 
ing  her  with  all  his  strength.  "Leave  me !  Leave 
me !  Then  you  will  leave  me  dead !  " 

He  did  not  hear  a  knock  nor  the  opening  of 
the  door  that  followed  it. 

A  hand  gripped  him  by  the  collar  and  his  own 
grasp  of  Emma's  frail  form  relaxed.  The  hand 
swung  him  round  and  sent  him  reeling  across  the 
room. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you,  Brooks,  has  it 
got  to  wife-beating  now?  " 

Smith  stood  looking  at  him  scornfully. 

Emma  struggled  up,  more  dead  than  alive. 

"  Oh,  Jimsy !  "  she  cried,  "  he  tried  to  kill  me 
because  I  would  not  stay  with  him ! " 
225 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  All  right,  Emma,  you  go  now,"  he  replied. 

"You  stop  here!"  commanded  her  husband, 
furiously.  "  What  does  this  man  mean  by  inter 
fering  in  my  affairs  ?  " 

"  I  guess  that  man  has  a  big  claim  on  your 
gratitude,"  said  Smith.  "That's  two  escapes 
you've  had  to-night — one  from  the  penitentiary 
and  one  from  the  electric  chair.  You've  a  whole 
lot  to  be  thankful  for  if  you  only  knew  it,  Brooks, 
but  it  looks  like  you  don't." 

Emma  had  reached  the  door  and  hurried  out 
without  looking  back.  Her  husband  would  have 
rushed  after  her,  but  between  him  and  the  exit 
stood  the  tall  form  of  Smith,  and  there  was  some 
thing  in  Jimsy's  look,  in  the  lines  that  had  tight 
ened  about  his  mouth,  that  caused  him  to  hes 
itate.  He  had  never  imagined  that  the  kind, 
genial  face  could  take  on  such  an  expression. 
The  eyes  had  become  hard  and  forbidding,  and 
under  their  keen  gaze  the  man's  feeble  courage 
wilted. 

"  Brooks,"   said  Smith,   "  you  have  no  more 

rights ;  you  relinquished  them  all  under  the  terms 

of  your  deal  with  Emma,  and  you  have  been  paid 

in  full.     Of  course,  if  you  repent  of  the  bargain 

226 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Captain  Williams,  as  a  party  to  the  contract,  may 
be  induced  to  cancel  the  receipt  and  leave  the 
matter  as  it  was  earlier  in  the  evening.  I  will  get 
him  on  the  'phone  in  a  jiffy  if  you  say  so." 

A  smile  so  sickly,  so  distorted  with  baffled  rage 
that  it  became  a  hyena-like  grimace,  flickered  on 
Brooks's  visage. 

"  I  see,"  he  said.  "You've  all  turned  against 
me,  now  you  think  I'm  down.  Well,  as  you  like. 
Consider  I've  been  paid  in  full.  I'm  agreeable. 
I've  done  nothing  but  slave  for  her  for  five  years 
and  been  kept  down  by  her.  I  didn't  send  her 
away,  but  seeing  she's  going  against  my  wishes — 
she'll  stay  gone.  It  let's  me  out.  In  future  I'll 
only  have  myself  to  think  of,  and  you  bet  I'm 
going  to  do  it." 

"That's  up  to  you,"  retorted  Smith,  senten-^ 
tiously. 

Without  saying  good  night  he  turned  and  left 
the  room  to  rejoin  Emma,  who  was  waiting  for 
him  at  the  bottom  of  the  elevator  shaft. 


227 


PAID    (N    fULL 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

WASHED  with  rain  the  stars,  "  forget-me- 
nots  of  the  angels,"  blinked  limpidly 
from  the  sky  of  violet  blue.  The  moon 
light  flooded  the  country,  percolated  in  soft, 
refulgent  cascades  through  the  spruces  and  hem 
locks,  and  traced  with  its  witchery  weird 
arabesques  in  the  glades.  At  its  touch  the  rain 
drops  that  quivered  at  the  tips  of  leaves  and  pine 
needles  were  transformed  into  pure  white  bril 
liants.  It  threw  into  relief  the  upper  wood-clad 
slopes  of  the  mountains,  which  deepened  with 
shadow  as  they  descended,  billowed  out  boldly 
again  into  the  light  and  rolled  into  the  sombre, 
mysterious  abysses  of  the  valleys.  On  the  loftiest 
peak  which  undulated  unevenly  on  the  skyline 
as  though  it  sought  to  surge  still  nearer  the 
firmament,  a  tree,  towering  above  the  rest  of  the 
forest,  stood  out  like  a  cross.  Down  through  the 
clearings  glinted  a  lake  splashed  with  a  wide 
cloth  of  silver  sheen.  Unseen  waterfalls  and  riv- 
228 


PAID    IN    FULL 

ulets  plashed  and  gurgled  their  joy  most  mu 
sically  as  they  hurried  down  to  it. 

The  drop-curtain  of  night  had  shut  out  the 
rain  mists  that  had  made  a  day  of  gray  dreariness 
and  had  risen  again  after  a  while  to  disclose  a 
scene  in  which  Titania  and  her  court  would  have 
held  gleeful  revel. 

On  the  road  that  ribboned  through  the  forest 
and  up  from  the  lake  walked  Emma  Brooks  and 
her  sister  Beth,  the  latter  grumbling. 

"  You  are  the  queerest  girl,"  she  complained. 
"  No  one  but  you  would  think  of  coming  out  in 
such  weather — not  a  soul.  My  shoes  are  so  heavy 
-with  mud  I  can  hardly  lift  my  feet." 

"  Oh !  I  just  had  to !  I  love  it,"  replied  Emma, 
"  I  simply  could  not  stay  indoors.  I  know  now 
what  a  bird  must  feel  like  when  it  is  caged.  You 
must  humor  me,  little  sister.  I  have  been  born 
again — awakened  to  a  new  life.  If  I  could  I 
would  climb  to  that  cross  on  the  sky,  cling  to  it 
and  ask  God  never  to  let  me  return  to  earth. 
May  His  name  be  praised  for  ever  and  ever, 
world  without  end.  My  soul,  snatched  from  the 
swirlfire  of  sordidness,  of  sorrow,  of  baseness, 
that  seared  it,  must  expand  or  burst.  My  life 
229 


PAID    IN    FULL 

for  so  long  was  depressed  in  the  fog,  like  that 
we  came  up  through  to-day  to  emerge  at  last 
into  the  brightness  of  the  mountain  tops.  It  is 
hard  to  realize  that  I  have  left  all  this  behind  and 
am  free  in  the  light." 

"  You  certainly  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it  with 
that  beast,"  admitted  Beth,  stopping  to  take 
breath. 

"  Listen ! "  went  on  Emma.  "  Don't  you  love 
that  chorus  of  the  frogs  and  the  grasshoppers? 
I  think  there  is  sometking  weirdly  exquisite  in 
these  noises  of  the  night  that  we  do  not  hear  in 
the  city,  that  I  have  not  heard  for  ages  and  ages. 
Oh,  I  wish  the  woods  here  were  full  of  the  old- 
world  nightingales  that  the  poets  say  '  feed  the 
heart  of  the  night  with  fire/  '  satiate  the  hungry 
dark  with  melody' — don't  you?  And  don't  you 
love  this  incense  of  the  soaked  earth  and  its  ver 
dure?  It  lifts  me  to  the  clouds  there,  that  drift 
like  silver  snow  past  the  moon.  I  am  a  cloud: 

"I  bind  the  sun's  throne  with  a  burning  zone, 
And  the  moon's  with  a  girdle  of  pearl; 

The  volcanoes  are  dim  and  the  stars  reel  and  swim, 
When  the  whirlwinds  my  banner  unfurl. 

From  cape  to  cape,  with  a  bridge-like  shape, 

230 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Over  a  torrent  sea, 
Sunbeam  proof,  I  hang  like  a  roof, 

The  mountains  its  columns  be. 
The  triumphal  arch  through  which  I  march 

With  hurricane,  fire  and  snow, 
When  the  powers  of  the  air  are  chained  to  my  chair, 

Is  the  million-colored  bow: 
The  sphere-fire  above  its  soft  colors  wove 

While  the  moist  earth  was  laughing  below." 

She  laughed  aloud  in  her  light  heartedness  and 
the  joyous  peal  went  echoing  through  the  wood. 

"  Lor/  Emma,  how  you  talk !  "  said  Beth,  mar 
veling  at  her  sister's  exaltation,  which  she  did  not 
understand.  Since  she  had  grown  to  young 
womanhood  herself  she  had  been  rather  prone  to 
patronize  Emma,  the  little  housekeeper,  follow 
ing  in  this  the  lead  of  her  mother.  Emma  had  al 
ways  submitted  with  amused  indulgence — her  ex 
perience  of  the  grim,  unromantic  duties  of  her 
married  life  had  made  her  wondrous  wise  in  some 
respects — and  she  had  never  opened  her  heart  to 
her.  Now  she  stood  revealed  as  a  woman  trans 
formed,  of  an  elevation  of  thought  and  sentiment 
that  impressed  the  unpoetic  Beth  with  a  little  awe 
and  a  good  deal  of  respect.  She  could  find  no 
suitable  comment  to  make,  and  they  trudged  on 
231 


PAID    IN    FULL 

and  upwards  in  silence  through  the  mud,  past 
cheerful  lights  that  glowed  through  windows  of 
bungalows  and  cottages  among  the  trees,  until 
they  came  to  a  miniature  dwelling  ensconced  in 
a  bower  of  laurels. 

At  the  door  stood  Mrs.  Harris.  She  was  dis 
pleased. 

"  For  goodness  sake,  where  have  you  been?" 
she  exclaimed,  as  the  girls  entered.  "  I  began  to 
think  you  had  fallen  into  the  lake  or  off  a  rock, 
or  that  some  other  dreadful  thing  had  happened 
to  you,  and  was  scared  to  death." 

"  Emma,"  said  Beth,  dropping  into  a  chair,  "  is 
impossible.  She  insisted  on  walking  right  to  the 
lake,  though  the  roads  were  awful  and  ankle  deep 
in  mud  so  sticky  that  I  thought  I'd  have  to  leave 
my  rubbers  in  it.  Don't  forget,  too,  that  it's  all 
uphill  coming  back." 

"Oh,  I  never  enjoyed  a  walk  so  in  my  life!" 
declared  Emma.  "  It  was  magnificent !  I  couldn't 
have  slept,  I  couldn't  have  stayed  in  bed  if  I 
hadn't  taken  it." 

But  Mrs.  Harris  refused  to  be  mollified. 

"  And  I  won't  be  able  to  sleep  because  you've 
made  me  so  nervous,"  she  complained. 
232 


Emma  went  to  her,  put  her  arm  about  her  and 
kissed  her. 

"  Don't  be  cross,  mother,"  she  pleaded.  "  You 
know  this  is  my  first  sniff  of  real  country  for  a 
century,  and  I  have  never  been  in  the  Catskills 
before,  and  therefore  never  so  near  heaven.  I 
am  a  little  girl  again,  as  full  of  childish  joy  as  I 
used  to  be  when  father  took  us  on  those  trips 
which  now  seem  like  a  dream,  they  were  so  long 
ago." 

"  If  your  father  hadn't  been  so  '  easy '  we'd  be 
owning  a  handsome  cottage  at  one  of  the  fash 
ionable  places  in  the  Adirondacks  instead  of 
hiring  a  mean  little  bungalow  here,"  lamented 
Mrs.  Harris. 

"  I  don't  believe  there's  any  spot  in  the  Adiron 
dacks  or  anywhere  else  on  earth  more  beautiful 
than  this,  from  what  I've  seen  of  it  to-night,"  re 
turned  Emma,  enthusiastically.  "  And  this  tiny 
bungalow,  perched  on  the  hillside  among  the 
bays  and  hemlocks,  is  a  fairy  castle  of  delight. 
From  it  you  can  look  out  upon  paradise." 

"  My  child,  you  say  that  because  you've  never 
seen  anything.     It's  a  place  one  comes  to  hide 
one's  self  in.     No  fashionable  people  ever  come 
233 


PAID    IN    FULL 

liere,  and  one  has  to  be  so  particular.  But  what  is 
one  to  do — one  can't  remain  in  New  York  in  the 
dog  days ! " 

"  For  me,  I'm  sick  and  tired  of  the  mountains," 
announced  Beth.  "  I'd  like  to  go  to  Newport, 
where  we'd  stand  a  chance  of  meeting  somebody, 
and  where,  anyhow,  we'd  be  able  to  see  real 
society  people.  But  mamma  insists  on  coming 
up  here  year  after  year  because  she  thinks  sea  air 
>cloesn't  agree  with  her." 

"  I  don't  think  anything  about  it !  I  know  what 
tloes  and  what  does  not  agree  with  me,  I  sup 
pose!"  snorted  her  mother. 

"  Bother  society !  "  said  Emma  happily. 

Both  her  mother  and  Beth  looked  shocked. 

"  Emma,  how  can  you  say  such  a  thing?"  re 
proved  Mrs.  Harris,  enveloping  herself  in  an  air 
of  loftiness.  "  I  hope  you  have  not  allowed  your 
self  to  be  influenced  by  the  anarchistic  vaporings 
of  your — of  that  unspeakable  person  whose  name 
is  not  to  be  mentioned?" 

"  I've  read  somewhere  that  fine  society  is  only 
&  self-protection  against  the  vulgarities  of  the 
street  and  the  tavern,"  chirped  Beth,  primly. 
234 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  That  all  depends  on  how  you  define  '  fine 
society/  Beth,"  said  Emma. 

"  I  mean  the  society  of  wealth,  the  'Four  Hun 
dred,'  of  course.  I  pray  every  night  that  I  may- 
marry  a  duke  or  a  count." 

"  Beth  has  such  elevated  ideas,"  commented 
her  mother,  admiringly. 

"Such  petitions,"  observed  Emma,  becoming 
grave,  "  never  reach  the  Mercy  Seat.  It  is  said 
that  at  midnight  every  New  Year's  Eve,  when  the 
bells  of  the  churches  ring  out  the  dying  year, 
there  issue  from  the  belfries  streams  of  vapory 
spirits  with  distracted,  terrified  faces,  their  hands 
clasped  to  their  ears.  They  are  the  prayers  that 
never  rose  any  higher,  prayers  of  worshipers  in 
the  churches  who  repeated  them  mechanically,  as 
they  are  accustomed  to  do  every  Sunday,  with 
out  realization  of  the  significance  of  the  words 
they  utter;  prayers  muttered  by  those  whose 
thoughts  were  on  other  things;  prayers  of  the 
hypocrite;  prayers  of  the  humbug;  supplications 
to  the  Most  High  for  the  preposterous  and  the 
impossible ;  prayers  of  those  who  do  not  practice 
what  they  preach ;  prayers  of  those  who  do  those 
things  which  they  ought  not  to  do  and  leave  un-» 
235 


PAID    IN    FULL 

•done  those  things  which  they  ought  to  do,  and 
think  their  weekly  glib  confession  of  it  and  their 
obolus  in  the  collection  plate  absolve  them.  With 
the  jangling  and  clanging  of  the  bells  they  are 
borne  by  the  winds  over  mountain  and  sea,  and 
are  lost  forever  in  the  eternal  void  between  the 
worlds.  All  such  prayers,  wherever  uttered,  must 
share  this  fate." 

By  this  time  Mrs.  Harris  was  agape,  too  as 
tonished  to  utter  a  word. 

"  Gracious,  Emma!"  gasped  Beth.  "You  talk 
like  a  book.  I  don't  know  what's  come  over 
you." 

"  It  is  my  new  birth.  I  told  you  it  was  as 
though  I  had  been  born  again.  I  hope  you  will 
marry  a  duke  or  a  count  if  you  want  to,  Beth.  As 
a  rule  I  believe  they  are  real  men,  every  whit  as 
worthy  as  good  men  who  don't  bear  this  distinc 
tion  of  title.  Still,  the  field  is  necessarily  re 
stricted,  and  you  mustn't  forget  that  there  are 
other  noble  men,  as  distinguished  from  noblemen 
— men  of  sterling  value,  who  ring  true  under 
every  test." 

"  Like — like  Jimsy,"  ventured  Beth,  with  a 
'dubious  air,  casting  about  and  on  the  spur  of  the 
236 


PAID    IN    FULL 

moment  thinking1  of  none  other  she  knew  wht» 
would  fit  the  description. 

"  Like  Jimsy,"  assented  Emma,  emphatically. 

"  But  he's  so  ungrammatical,  so — er — shy  on 
education.  Besides  which  he  hasn't  any  money," 
objected  Mrs.  Harris. 

"  None  to  speak  of,"  seconded  Beth,  pursing 
her  lips  deprecatingly. 

"Aside  from  that,  though,"  conceded  Mrs. 
Harris,  "  I  must  say  that  Jimsy's  a  real  good  man 
and  most  obliging.  He  can't  help  his  up 
bringing." 

"How  about  Capt.  Williams?"  questioned 
Emma.  "  How  would  you  class  him  ?  " 

"  My  dear,"  answered  her  mother,  "  you 
wouldn't  put  him  in  the  same  class  with  Jimsy — 
I  mean  socially.  He's  so  rich !  I  wouldn't  be  sur 
prised  if  he  were  several  times  a  millionaire.  Re 
member,  he  has  two  automobiles.  And  the  hand 
some  way  he  treated  you !  Why,  he  crossed  out 
the  sixteen  thousand  dollars  that  abomination 
stole  as  though  it  were  a  matter  of  sixteen  cents." 

"A  man's  true  wealth  is  the  good  he  does  in 
this  world,  mother,  according  to  Mahomet." 

'''  That  is  how  it  may  have  appeared  to  that  for- 
237 


PAID    IN    FULL 

eign  prophet  in  the  year  one,"  retorted  Mrs. 
Harris,  with  a  tone  of  finality,  "  but  in  this  age  of 
horse  sense  in  the  United  States  a  million  dollars 
in  the  bank  is  the  real  standard  of  wealth.  With 
money  you  can  do  everything.  If  you  have  plenty 
of  it  you  can  do  plenty  of  good,  and  everybody 
felse  will  sit  on  the  fence  and  clap;  but  if  you 
haven't  any  you  are  no  good  to  yourself,  can  do 
no  good  to  others  and  everybody  else  will  get 
idown  from  the  fence  to  kick  you," 


238 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  XIX 

LEFT  to  his  own  devices,  Brooks  took  a  sur 
vey  of  the  position  in  which  he  found  him 
self,  and  his  conclusion  was  not  without 
gratification  to  him.  For  his  immediate  needs  he 
had  no  cause  to  worry,  notwithstanding  that  he 
was  without  employment.  As  he  had  observed  to 
his  wife,  he  had  enough  money  on  hand  to  give 
him  time  to  look  for  a  better  place.  The  clean 
"  bill  of  health  "  she  had  been  the  means  of  ob 
taining  for  him  from  Capt.  Williams  had,  in 
fact,  left  at  his  free  disposal,  as  his  own  property, 
several  hundred  dollars  from  his  stealings  and 
last  "  plunge  "  on  the  horses,  which  had  been  a 
winning  one.  Then  there  was  the  furniture  and 
the  piano.  The  piano  was  supposed  to  be  Emma's 
and  he  felt  sure  she  would  send  for  it,  but 
he  had  no  intention  of  surrendering  it.  Not  one 
stick,  not  one  penny  would  she  ever  get  out  of 
him  after  the  way  in  which  she  had  treated  him. 
The  very  day  after  her  departure  he  sold  the 
239 


PAID    IN    FULL 

instrument  to  the  piano  house  from  which  it  had 
been  purchased. 

Within  three  days  he  had  removed  from  the 
hotel  where  they  had  lived  in  state  for  such  a 
brief  period,  and  transferred  such  furniture  as  he 
required  to  one  room  in  a  bachelor  apartment 
house.  The  rest  he  disposed  of  for  cash.  In  tak 
ing  a  room  and  furnishing  it  himself,  instead  of 
following  his  first  impulse  and  going  to  a  board 
ing  house  to  live,  which  would  have  been  cheaper, 
he  had  been  influenced  by  the  reflection  that  it 
would  give  him  more  freedom  to  do  as  he  liked. 
He  was  a  bachelor  again  to  all  intents  and  pur 
poses,  and  he  resolved  to  enjoy  his  liberty  to  the 
full.  He  had  had  enough  of  married  life  with  its 
cares  and  the  discipline  of  restraint  it  imposed. 
Once  more  he  was  "  one  of  the  boys."  There  was 
no  one  to  consider  but  himself.  As  he  thought  of 
this  and  counted  up  his  available  funds  his  selfish 
heart  leaped  with  glee.  To  make  his  position  un 
mistakable  and  discourage  any  disposition  on  his 
wife's  part  to  return  to  him  he  forwarded,  care  of 
her  mother,  her  portrait,  that  had  been  conspic 
uous  on  the  parlor  mantel — after  taking  it  from 
240 


PAID    IN    FULL 

the  gilded  frame  in  which  it  had  stood.     €>n 
back  of  it  he  wrote  a  verse  of  an  old  song  : 

"  My  wife  she  ran  away  from  me 

Some  two  or  three  weeks  ago, 
And  now  she  wants  to  come  back  again, 

But  I  tell  her  it's  no  go. 
'  Once  bit  twice  shy,'  is  my  reply, 

And  if  it  was  to  rain 
Cats  and  dogs  and  mussels  and  frogs, 

I'd  never  have  her  back  again." 


There  was  no  word  of  explanation  beyond  this 
insulting  doggerel,  and  he  was  careful  not  to  give 
his  address.  He  chuckled  as  he  put  it  in  the 
letter-box.  No  doubt  she  was  already  repeating 
of  her  action  and  wanting  to  return  to  him,  but 
he  would  never  take  her.  At  times  he  was  a 
little  uneasy  lest  she  should  seek  to  discover  his 
whereabouts  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  claim 
for  support,  but  as  the  weeks  wore  on  and  noth 
ing  was  heard  from  her  he  became  reassured. 

He  had  had  little  difficulty  in  procuring  work, 
thanks  to  Capt.  Williams's  note  accepting  his 
resignation,  and  soon  was  established  as  assistant 
to  the  receiving  teller  in  a  bank  with  a  salary  of 
twenty-five  dollars  a  week.  With  this  and  the 
241 


PAID    IN    FULL 

money  already  in  his  possession  he  deemed  him 
self  rich,  and  his  fitful  optimism  obtained  the  as 
cendancy  once  more  in  its  usual  extravagant  form. 
But  his  escape  from  arrest  had  been  a  lesson  that 
had  sunk  in  deeply.  He  vowed  never  again  under] 
any  circumstances  to  "borrow"  from  the  funds 
he  handled  in  the  course  of  his  duties.  He  es 
chewed  horse  racing  also,  knowing  that  if  the 
bank  officials  became  aware  that  he  was  gambling1 
he  would  lose  his  place  that  very  instant.  Thus 
Joseph  Brooks,  bachelor  de  facto  if  not  de  jure, 
reformed  and  led  a  model  and  strictly  selfish  life. 
He  was  his  own  household  god. 

After  awhile  his  fellow  employes  noticed  that 
Brooks,  the  spry,  genial  Brooks,  who  had  won 
the  good  will  of  everybody,  as  he  had  in  the  gen 
eral  office  of  the  Latin-American  Steamship 
Company,  manifested  a  tendency  towards  mo- 
roseness,  that  his  face  at  times  assumed  an  ex 
pression  of  melancholy.  Despite  his  love  of  self, 
he  was  of  those  natures  which  do  not  thrive  in 
solitude.  At  first  his  new  life  had  been  all  that  he 
could  have  desired  and  he  had  enjoyed  to  the  full 
the  liberty  for  which  often  he  had  sighed  in 
secret.  He  had  found  ample  distraction  in  the 
242 


society  of  his  male  acquaintances  with  whom  he 
had  dined  oat  and  whom  he  had  accompanied  to 
places  of  amusement.  As  the  novelty  had  worn 
off,  however,  he  had  begun  to  find  their  company 
less  satisfying.  He  never  had  cared  much  for 
the  companionship  of  men ;  his  inclination  always 
had  been  towards  that  of  the  opposite  sex.  Ac 
customed,  also,  as  he  had  been  for  so  long  to 
the  consolations  of  home  life,  to  the  thoughtful, 
affectionate  ministrations  and  bright  presence  of 
Emma,  he  was  bound,  sooner  or  later,  to  miss 
her. 

"  There's  nothing  in  this  living  alone." 
The  avowal  came  one  night  after  he  had  spent 
an  evening  at  the  theatre  with  two  sociable  fel 
low  clerks  and  he  gazed  around  his  silent,  cheer 
less  bedroom.  The  deadly  feel  of  solitude  was 
upon  him  and  his  abode,  and  had  been  for  some 
time.  It  had  grown  stronger  and  stronger  until 
jthe  thing  which  he  had  refused  to  admit  to  him 
self  would  not  be  suppressed  and  welled  to 
blurted  utterance.  Although  he  had  not  at  any 
time  loved  Emma  with  that  ineffable  passion 
which  is  the  golden  ladder  upon  which  the  soul 
mounts  to  heaven,  yet  she  had  filled  a  larger 
243 


place  in  hie  heart  than  he  had  ever  had  any  com 
plete  i^ea  of  prior  to  her  absence.  His  senti 
ment,  fostered  by  his  selfishness,  revived  with 
violence  under  his  introspection.  He  yearned 
for  Emma's  smile  of  greeting  and  the  kiss  that 
accompanied  it  at  his  homecoming,  for  the  num 
berless  sweet  attentions  she  had  lavished  upon 
him.  He  asked  himself  whether  his  present 
mode  of  living  forlornly,  which  cost  him  more 
than  he  had  bargained  for,  zvas  living.  He  con 
trasted  what  he  was  getting  with  the  comforts 
his  little  manager  would  have  procured  for  the 
same  outlay  in  their  home  and  was  compelled 
to  admit  that  he  was  existing  rather  more  than 
less  miserably. 

And  quite  aside  from  all  these  things  to  which 
she  had  accustomed  him  there  was  Emma  her 
self.  How  pretty  she  was,  how  gentle;  how 
sweetly  she  had  put  up  with  his  ill-humor.  She 
was  different  from  any  of  the  girls  and 
women  he  had  ever  been  acquainted  with.  He 
was  sorry  he  had  sent  the  photograph — not 
alone  because  he  felt  that  he  had  made  gratui 
tously  a  false  move,  but  because  he  wished  he 
had  kept  it  for  himself.  There  was  not  one  per- 
244 


serial  object  remaining  that  had  belonged  to  her. 
The  little  ornaments  she  had  liked,  her  clothes, 
the  trinkets  she  had  left  behind,  he  had  disposed 
of  in  his  haste  to  get  rid  of  everything  that  could 
recall  her  or  to  which  she  might  lay  claim. 

He  wondered  if  she,  too,  was  sorry  for  their 
separation.  She  must  be.  How  could  she  live 
under  the  eternal  nagging  and  fault-finding-  of 
her  mother,  and  the  lording  proclivities  of  Beth 
and  not  long  to  return  to  the  independence  of 
her  own  home?  The  fit  of  anger  and  resent 
ment  in  which  she  had  left  him  once  passed  her 
love  for  him  must  have  returned. 

She  had  loved  him.  His  memory  evoked  the 
distant  vision  of  her  frail,  lithe  form  clinging  to 
him  as  she  gazed  up  into  his  eyes,  her  own  aglow 
with  the  glory  of  her  adoration  and  its  delirious 
inte-nsity.  He  felt  the  blissful  pulsations  of  her 
heart  throbbing  against  him  its  paean  of  passion, 
heard  the  red,  reason-drawing  lips  murmur  her 
soul's  ecstasy  in  words  of  flame  and  beauty,  felt 
the  thrill  that  shivered  through  him  as  his  fingers 
threaded  caressingly  the  shimmering  clotid  o-f  her 
tresses.  That  was  long  ago  in  their  early  posses 
sion  of  each  other,  when  she  had  awakened  to 
245 


PAID    IN    FULL 

knowledge  of  herself  and  had  worshiped  him  as 
a  god,  fountainhead  of  joy  and  light  for  her  on 
«arth. 

This  transcendent  passion  had  not  found  in 
him  the  responsiveness  it  craved  and  which  alone 
could  nourish  it ;  he  had  been  incapable  of  main 
taining  himself  on  the  pedestal  of  idealism  on 
which  it  had  placed  him,  and,  like  a  storm  wave 
tlaat  piles  impetuously  again  and  again  against  a 
perpendicular  cliff  only  to  recede  upon  itself,  its 
violence  had  gradually  subsided.  He  who  had 
had  surfeit  of  love,  whose  soul  was  not  attuned! 
to  the  magic  music  of  its  lyre — had  not  been  fash 
ioned  to  an  appreciation  of  its  esthetic  sub 
limity — began,  now  that  it  was  his  no  longer,  to 
get  a  glimmering  of  what  it  all  meant,  to  com 
prehend  vaguely  what  his  material  mind  had  been 
unable  to  grasp.  Emma  had  been  an  enigma  to 
him  often,  a  riddle  that  had  bored  him  at  times. 
His  blunted  senses  sharpened  by  desire  of  her! 
perceived  that  stupidly,  ignorantly,  he  had  dis 
dained  a  treasure  beyond  price. 

But  remembering  what  he  had  been  to  her, 
and  that  she  was  still  his  wife,  he  believed  that  a 
feconciliation  could  be  brought  about.  This  be- 
246 


PAID    IN    FULL 

lief  was  long  in  growing  upon  him,  and  when  it 
took  shape  it  was  the  offspring  of  his  wishes. 
Other  factors,  also,  had  a  share  in  forming  it. 
Sentiment  and  Desire  took  counsel  with  Advisa 
bility  ;  Selfishness  weighed  the  pros  and  cons.  In 
the  end  Sentiment  and  Desire,  being  the 
stronger,  adjusted  objections  to  their  own  point 
of  view.  But  even  then  it  was  some  time  before 
he  could  summon  up  courage  enough  to  take  any 
steps  in  the  matter. 

Summer  had  given  place  to  winter  and  re 
turned  again  since  Emma  had  left  him.  In  all 
that  time  he  had  not  heard  from  or  of  her.  He 
had  made  no  attempt  to  see  Jimsy  Smith  or  any 
of  his  former  friends  and  associates,  having  at 
the  time  of  his  wife's  separation  from  him  vowed 
to  keep  to  himself  and  break  with  the  past  alto 
gether. 

Now  he  bent  his  thoughts  upon  how  best  to 
effect  the  rapprochement.  Should  he  write 
Emma,  expressing  his  contrition  and  begging1 
her  forgiveness?  His  pride  stiffened  at  this 
proposition.  Should  he  write  and  request  an  in 
terview  with  her?  If  he  could  see  her  he  be 
lieved  he  would  have  little  trouble  in  persuading 
247 


PAID    IN    FULL 

her.  But,  counseled  by  her  hateful  mother  who 
always  had  despised  him,  she  might  refuse  to  see 
him.  Perhaps  the  best  way  would  be  to  ap 
proach  her  through  some  one  else.  The  only 
person  he  knew  of  who  by  any  possibility  could 
act  as  intermediary  was  Jimsy  Smith,  the  general 
utility  man. 

Requisitioning  Jimsy's  services  did  not  appeal 
to  him.  He  had  long  been  jealous  of  his  pros 
perity,  and  of  the  fact  that  he  had  once  been  a 
suitor  for  Emma's  hand,  although  jealousy  on 
account  of  the  latter  circumstance  was  rather  the 
outcome  of  envy  of  his  success  in  business. 
Nevertheless,  Jimsy,  like  the  objections  to  taking 
Emma  back,  was  brought  into  harmony  with  the 
needs  of  the  situation.  He  was  indispensable, 
and  the  more  Brooks  realized  this  the  higher 
became  the  degree  of  favor  to  which  he  re 
stored  him.  It  had  been  bad  policy  not  to  keep 
in  touch  with  Jimsy,  a  serious  mistake.  Smith, 
however,  was  such  an  "  easy,"  obliging,  warm 
hearted  fellow  that  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
in  squaring  things  with  him  and  getting  him  to 
act  as  go-between. 

He  resolved  to  call  on  Jimsy. 
248 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER    XX. 

DESTINY  is  a  strange  thing1.  Under  many 
a  quiet  exterior  smoulder  fires  of  volcanic 
passion  that  never  are  fanned  into  activity 
because  the  essential  puff  of  cause  has  never 
stirred  them.  The  patient  dullard  whom  chance 
or  opportunity  would  have  transformed  into  a 
leader  of  men  and  a  great  organizer  plods  ©n 
with  docility  to  his  obscure  grave.  Jimsy  Smith 
had  had  conceptions  of  comfort  and  life  on  a 
large  scale  that  he  had  never  attempted  to  carry 
out  even  in  petto,  for  the  reason  that  the  one 
thing  upon  which  they  were  based,  the  one  in 
centive,  was  lacking — a  wife.  Given  wealth  and 
a  woman  responsive  in  the  same  degree  to  the 
profound  devotion  and  large  ideas  of  which  he 
was  capable  Smith  might  have  developed  into  a 
magnificent  nabob,  a  great  statesman,  or  a  great 
"  captain  of  industry ;"  certainly  into  a  great  and 
wise  philanthropist.  Given  such  a  woman  as  an 
inspiration,  he  might  with  his  strength  of  mind 
249 


and  self-control  have  won  from  nothing  to  a 
position  that  would  have  enabled  him  to  live  in 
some  accord  with  the  aspirations  that  once  had 
illumed  his  day-dreaming. 

As  it  was,  he  had  banished  day-dreaming  from 
his  plan  of  existence.  His  philanthropic  streak 
had  found  a  natural  outlet  in  consideration  for 
the  rights  and  weaknesses  of  those  with  whom 
his  daily  life  brought  him  in  contact,  and  in  un 
sparing  service-rendering  for  the  few  beings  on 
earth  for  wfeom  he  entertained  real  regard.  He 
had  fixed  a  rigid  line  of  demarkation  between 
right  and  wroag  for  the  governance  of  his  own 
conduct  that  he  never  permitted  himself  to  over 
step,  but  the  failings  of  others  he  was  prone  to 
condone  and  ever  was  ready  to  stretch  forth  a 
hand  and  help  a  weakling  to  set  himself  straight. 
For  luxuries  unshared  he  cared  nothing,  where 
fore  his  habits  were  plain  and  his  needs  of  the 
simplest,  though  he  never  stinted  himself  when 
he  fancied  he  wanted  anything.  He  earned 
enough  and  had  saved  enough  to  gratify  every 
reasonable  desire. 

Jimsy  occupied  two  furnished  rooms  in  a  small, 
jguiet  boarding  house.  He  had  lived  in  the  place 
250 


PAID    IN    FULL 

\ 
ever  since  his  arrival  in  New  York,  and  the  only; 

change  he  had  made  was  to  take  a  private  sitting- 
room  in  addition  to  his  bedroom  when  his  means 
admitted  of  it. 

It  was  here  that  Brooks  found  him  when  late 
one  evening  he  called  there.  In  the  old  days  he 
had  had  unrestricted  access  to  the  rooms,  there 
fore  when  he  presented  himself  at  the  boarding1 
house  the  landlady  who  responded  to  his  ring 
merely  exchanged  a  good  evening  with  him  and  , 
let  him  in  without  announcing  his  arrival. 

Jimsy,  cigar  in  mouth,  was  working  at  some 
plans  and  figures  in  the  light  of  a  reading  lamp 
when  Brooks  opened  the  door.  He  looked  up 
from  the  table  with  no  evidence  of  surprise  as 
his  visitor  entered. 

"Hullo,  Jimsy!" 

"  Hullo ! " 

Smith  might  have  expected  him  and  regarded 
his  presence  as  an  ordinary  thing  for  all  the  tone 
of  his  response  to  the  salutation  indicated. 

"How  have  you  been  all  this  time?" 

"  About  as  usual.  How  have  you  been  getting1 
on  ?  Take  a  chair,  won't  you  ?  " 

He  did  not  see  the  hand  that  Brooks  extended 
251 


PAID    IN    FULL 

for  the  reason  that  he  was  rolling-  up  the  plans 
that  had  been  stretched  before  him. 

Brooks  sat  down  in  the  only  other  armchair, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  table.  On  entering  he 
fcad  been  very  nervous.  His  customary  aplomb 
revived  as  he  found  that  Smith  was  apparently 
the  same  old  Jimsy. 

"  Oh,  fine,"  he  replied.  "  Thought  I'd  just 
drop  in  on  you  and  see  how  things  were." 

"  Thanks.     Have  a  cigar." 

Smith  pushed  the  box  towards  him  and  he 
helped  himself  to  one  and  lit  it. 

"  I  feel  like  I  owe  an  apology  for  keeping  out 
of  the  way  so  long.  I  suppose  you  wondered 
what  had  become  of  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  often  wondered." 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  was  sort  of  cut  up  after  the 
way  Emma  left  me.  It  was  enough  to  make  me 
feel  sore.  There  was  no  excuse  for  it.  Then 
I've  been  awfully  busy.  I  got  a  job  in  a  bank 
as  assistant  receiving  teller,  at  a  real  living  salary. 
A  fellow  isn't  ground  down  there  and  there's  a 
chance  to  get  on.  They  treat  you  like  a  gentle 
man,  not  like  a  Lascar  cabin  boy.  I  ought  to 
have  quit  the  Latin-American  Line  long  ago. 
252 


PAID    IN    FULL 

I'd  have  been  something  by  this  time  and 
would  never  have  been  any  trouble.  I  was 
afraid,  though.  A  fellow  can't  do  as  he  likes 
when  he's  got  a  wife  to  keep,  you  know.  I  sup 
pose  old  Williams  is  still  slave  driving?  " 

"Williams  is  still  president  of  the  company." 

"  Well,  he'll  get  what's  coming  to  him  from 
somebody  one  of  these  days." 

Smith  made  no  comment. 

His  visitor  puffed  smoke  rings  towards  the 
ceiling. 

"  Say,  Jimsy,  you  don't  give  one  the  impres 
sion  that  the  world  disagrees  with  you — you  look 
immense." 

"There's  never  much  the  matter  with  me," 
Brooks." 

"  '  Brooks'  !  Why  '  Brooks  ?  '  What's  the 
matter  with  '  Joe  ?  '  You  needn't  be  so  darned 
ceremonious.  You  haven't  got  a  grudge  against 
me  because  I  stayed  away  so  long,  have  you?" 

"  No  grudge  whatever." 

His  visitor  frowned.  He  was  in  some  doubt  as 
to  the  precise  significance  of  the  reply. 

"Oh,  well— let  it  go,"  he  said.  "How's  the 
old  woman?  " 

253 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  You  mean  Mrs.  Harris  ?  " 

"Who  else  would  I  mean  except  my  saintly 
mother-in-law?  " 

"  She  was  well  at  last  reports." 

There  was  another  pause  in  the  conversation 
and  Brooks  stared  hard  at  the  ceiling. 

"  I  guess  you're  a  fixture  here — you  wouldn't 
be  happy  in  any  other  lodgings,"  he  went  on, 
Jooking  at  Jimsy,  who  was  eyeing  him  with  his 
usual  calm  expression  that  was  neither  cold  nor 
kind,  yet  partook,  if  anything,  of  kindness. 
"You  ought  to  see  the  cute  little  quarters  I  have. 
They're  in  a  bachelor  apartment  house.  I  want 
you  to  come  around  one  of  these  evenings. 
We'll  have  a  bite  of  dinner  and  go  to  a  show 
afterwards.  Here's  my  card,  so's  you  won't  be 
able  to  say  you've  forgotten  the  address.  You'll 
come,  won't  you?" 

"  Maybe,  one  of  these  odd  evenings.  You  see, 
I'm  working  early  and  late  just  now.  The  com 
pany's  going  to  make  some  extensive  improve 
ments.  We've  got  to  provide  accommodations 
for  more  boats,  and  I'm  a  busy  man,  so  you 
mustn't  bank  on  me  for  awhile." 

**  All  right,  if  that  ain't  a  refusal — any  evening 
254 


PAID    IN    FULL 

you  can  dispose  of  will  suit  me.  Just  let  me  know 
you're  corning,  that's  all." 

For  the  hundredth  time  his  eyes  wandered  to 
portraits  of  himself  and  his  wife  in  a  silver  stand 
on  the  table.  They  had  presented  photographs 
and  stand  to  Smith  soon  after  their  marriage. 

"  You've  still  got  that,  I  see,"  he  said,  indicat 
ing  it  with  a  nod  of  the  head. 

"  Of  course." 

"  How  is  she,  by  the  by?  " 

At  last  he  had  brought  the  conversation  round 
to  where  he  wanted  it.  He  had  lacked  the  cour 
age  to  come  to  the  point  at  once  and  declare  the 
object  of  his  visit. 

"  Emma  ?  Oh,  she  was  all  right  when  I  last 
heard  about  her." 

"Heard  about  her?  She's  living  with  her 
mother,  isn't  she?" 

"  Certainly." 

"  Doirt  you  visit  them  quite  often?" 

"  I  haven't  seen  them  for  some  time.  All  tlie 
family's  out  of  town." 

Brooks  could  not  conceal  his  disappointment. 

"Where  are  they  staying — is  it  far  from  the 
city?" 

255 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Quite  some  distance." 

"  Well,  where  is  it — at  the  seaside — in  the 
country  ? "  he  demanded,  exasperated.  "  Why 
don't  you  come  out  with  a  straight  answer  in 
stead  of  dodging?  What  do  you  think  I  am? 
What  do  you  think  I  came  here  for?  " 

"  You  said  you  came  to  see  how  I  was  getting 
along." 

Brooks  could  have  kicked  himself  for  having 
been  betrayed  into  losing  his  temper.  It  was  a 
bad  break  for  a  man  having  a  favor  to  ask. 

"  Of  course  I  came  for  that,  Jimsy,"  he  said, 
the  anger  gone  from  his  voice.  "  But  it's  only 
natural  I  should  ask  for  news  of  my  family.  You 
don't  seem  to  think  I  have  any  rights  or  feelings. 
1  am  still  Emma's  husband,  and  it  ain't  because 
we've  had  a  tiff  that  we're  to  be  at  cat  and  dog 
lor  the  rest  of  our  lives,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  I  haven't  forgotten  that  you're  Emma's  hus 
band,  Joe,  but  the  matter  of  your  '  rights  '  is  open 
to  a  difference  of  construction,  and  I'm  entitled 
to  my  own  opinion.  I  do  consider  it  perfectly 
natural,  however,  that  you  should  be  curious 
about  your  family,  and  I've  answered  every  ques 
tion  you've  put  to  me  except  the  last.  I'm  under 
256 


PAID    IN    FULL 

promise  not  to  disclose  their  whereabouts  to  any 
body.  That's  why." 

"  Yes,  you've  answered  my  questions,  but 
you've  confined  yourself  to  '  yes '  and  *  no/  as  if 
you  were  a  witness  under  cross-examination." 

He  passed  his  hand  over  his  eyes  and  sighed. 

"It  ain't  like  you,  Jimsy,"  he  continued,  "it 
ain't  like  you  a  bit.  I  thought  you,  at  least, 
wouldn't  turn  against  me.  He's  a  good  man  who 
never  does  anj'thing  wrong." 

"  That's  right.  I  guess  there  are  more  men 
who  do  wrong  and  aren't  found  out  than  there 
are  men  who  do  wrong  and  are  discovered,  and  I 
ain't  in  the  business  of  heaving  rocks  at  any  man 
— certainly  not  at  you." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that.  It  ain't  be 
cause  I  was  led  by  my  feelings  for  her  into  taking 
what  didn't  belong  to  me  that  I'm  to  have  it 
tagged  all  over  me  and  be  avoided  like  a  leper  all 
my  life.  I've  been  living  on  the  level  ever  since. 
You  can  believe  me,  Jimsy — ask  the  bank  if  my 
accounts  ain't  in  order — and  I'm  going  to  keep 
straight,  too.  What  more  can  I  do,  except  say 
I'm  sorry?  What  more  does  anybody  want  me 
to  do?" 

257 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Nothing,  I  should  think." 

"  You  believe  me,  Jimsy?  " 

"  Joe,  I  believe  you're  speaking  the  truth,  and 
I  hope  with  all  my  heart  and  soul  you'll  keep 
right  on  the  way  you're  going.  And  now  you 
know  how  I  feel  about  it,  come  right  out  and  tell 
me  what  brought  you  here." 

"  I  will,  then.  I  want  to  know  about  Emma. 
It's  a  year  now  since  she — since  we  separated, 
and  I  won't  stand  it  any  longer.  I  want  her  to 
come  back  to  me.  I  simply  can't  do  without 
her." 

He  looked  at  Smith  expectantly,  but  the 
phlegmatic  Jimsy  made  no  remark. 

"  You  see  them  often.  Do  they  ever  speak 
about  me?" 

il  They  have  never  mentioned  you  in  my  pres 
ence  since  the  night  Emma  left  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  nobody  has  made  a 
remark  about  me  or  tried  to  find  out  what  had 
become  of  me?" 

"  Not  to  my  knowledge." 

"  I  never  believed  Emma  would  sulk  so  long. 
I'll  bet  she's  as  sick  and  tired  of  this  business  as 
I  am.  If  she  ain't  had  enough  of  the  old  woman 
258 


PALO    IN    FULL 

and  that  stuck-up  little  chit  of  a  Beth  by  this  time 
I'm  no  good  as  a  guessen  I  know  Emma — they 
must  have  baited  her  to  death." 

"  Maybe,  but  if  they  have  she  hasn't  told  me 
about  it,  and  she  don't  carry  it  writ  on  her  coun 
tenance  so's  you'd  notice  it." 

"  Jimsy,  I  must  see  her.    Tell  me  where  she  is/* 

"  I  can't  do  that." 

"  I  insist  on  knowing-." 

"  You  can't  find  out  from  me,  I'd  tell  you  will 
ingly  enough,  but  she  served  an  injunction  on  me 
ages  before  you  came  here,  and  I'm  not  going  to 
put  myself  in  contempt  of  court." 

"Well,  I'll  find  her  pretty  quickly  when  they 
get  back  to  town." 

"  All  right." 

Brooks  jumped  up  and  nervously  knocked  the 
ash  from  his  cigar  onto  a  tray. 

"  You've  known  Ernma  and  me  for  over  six 
years,  Jimsy,"  he  said.  "  And  you  know  all  about 
us  and  how  happy  we  were  together — how  I  tried 
to  make  her  happy,  risked  everything  for  her. 
You  were  always  a  good  friend  to  both  of  us. 
That's  why  I'm  here — that's  why  I'm  going  to 
you  to  do  me  a  favor.  Will  you  ?  " 
259 


"Joe,  I'll  do  anything  within  the  bounds  of 
reason." 

'*  I  knew  you  wouldn't  refuse.  Here's  what  I'd 
like  you  to  do :  I  want  you  to  see  Emma  alone — 
not  with  her  mother  and  Beth  around;  they'd 
queer  everything.  I  want  you  to  ask  her  to  let  by 
gones  be  bygones  and  come  back  to  me.  We'll 
begin  all  over  again,  and  this  time  we'll  begin 
right.  Tell  her  I'm  well  fixed.  I'm  ahead  of  the 
game.  I've  got  money  by,  earned  and  saved  it, 
and  a  good  place.  There'll  be  no  more  hard  pull 
ing  like  there  was  in  the  old  time.  Tell  her  I'm 
more  sorry  than  I  can  express  for  our  little  mis 
understanding — sorry  and  miserable.  Tell  her  1 
love  her  more  than  ever,  and  that  if  she  will  see 
me  she  will  understand." 

Smith  nodded  assent. 

"  And,  Jimsy,  put  in  a  good  word  for  me — 
plead  for  me — do  it  as  if  it  was  for  yourself. 
Emma  will  listen  to  you  when  she  won't  to  any 
one  else.  You  know  she  thinks  a  whole  lot  of 
you.  Will  you  do  this  for  me?" 

"  Yes,  I'll  do  it,  Joe." 

"Soon?" 

260 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Let's  see~  this  is  Tuesday.  I'll  see  her  Sun 
day — go  on  purpose." 

Brooks  went  to  him  and  seized  his  hand  with 
both  his  own. 

"  Jimsy,  you  are  the  best  ever !  "  he  exclaimed, 
fervently.  "  I  knew  I  could  count  on  you.  I'll 
never  forget  this  turn  you're  doing  me,  never! 
And  Emma  will  appreciate  it,  too.  Good  night 
and  God  bless  you." 

He  wrung  Smith's  hand  again. 

"  You  needn't  get  up,  old  boy,"  he  insisted, 
holding  him  down  in  the  chair.  "I  know  the  way 
out  with  my  eyes  shut." 

At  the  door  he  turned  with  this  recommenda 
tion: 

f'  Don't  forget,  Jimsy ;  plead  with  her  as  if  it 
was  for  yourself." 

Smith  sat  staring  straight  before  him  for  an 
hour. 


261 


PAID    IN    FULL 


CHAPTER  XXI 

UP  in  the  Catskills  little  chrome-hued  clouds 
had  groped  into  the  valley  below  Mrs. 
Harris's  bungalow  during  the  night,  and, 
surprised  by  the  daylight,  were  drifting  slowly 
about,  utterly  lost,  trying  to  find  their  way  out  of 
the  trap  to  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
dotted  with  groups  of  toy  houses  and  Noah's  Ark 
trees.  Across  the  valley  the  forested  slopes 
loomed  blurred  and  softly  blue  in  mist.  Save  for 
some  attenuated  fleecy  feathers  that  streaked 
straight  to  the  horizon  and  brushed  the  tips  of  the 
hills  there  the  sun  had  the  whole  sky  to  itself. 
Everything  presaged  a  hot  day. 

Early  though  the  hour  was — the  clock  had  not 
yet  struck  six — Emma  was  out  on  the  piazza, 
dressed  for  walking.  She  wore  a  cool,  clinging 
costume  of  pale,  straw-colored  tussah  so  short 
that  it  descended  little  below  the  tops  of  her  high 
buttoned  light  tan  shoes.  A  soft  felt  hat,  such  as 
men  travelers  roll  up  and  carry  in  their  pockets, 
262 


PAID    IN    FULL 

was  secured  to  her  fair  hair  by  a  hatpin,  and  its 
limp  border  hung-  down  and  shaded  her  eyes. 
These,  of  a  blue  that  rivaled  the  heavens,  were 
sparkling  with  admiration  of  the  scene  and  her 
cheeks  glowed  with  health.  She  made  a  lovely 
picture  as  she  stood  gazing  out  into  the  valley. 
Jimsy  Smith,  who  had  stopped  on  the  road  above 
on  his  way  from  the  hotel,  where  he  had  put  up 
the  night  before,  and  of  whose  presence  there  at 
that  moment  she  was  quite  unconscious,  thought 
he  had  never  seen  any  picture  so  beautiful  in  all 
his  life.  But,  then,  Jimsy's  judgment  was  biased. 
He  had  always  considered  Emma  pretty,  and 
found  something  to  admire  in  her,  even  when, 
with  grimy  hands  and  in  soiled  cotton  dress,  she 
was  engaged  in  the  unpoetical  occupation  of  pol-~ 
ishing  the  kitchen  stove. 

Beth,  her  hair  twisted  into  little  wave  knots 
with  queer  pins,  and  attired  in  a  pink  wrapper, 
joined  her. 

"  Why  don't  you  get  your  things  on  and  come 
with  us?"  urged  Emma.  "Jimsy  will  be  here  at 
six  o'clock." 

"  Me  ?  North  Mountain  ?  No,  thank  you !  I 
had  enough  walking  yesterday.  I'm  going  to 
263 


PAID    IN    FULL 

church ;  mother's  coming-,  too.  We  didn't  go  last 
Sunday,  and  the  whole  park  will  be  gossiping  if 
the  family  isn't  represented  sometimes  by  some 
one  or  other.  They'll  think  we're  all  pagans.  Be 
sides,  I'm  going  to  wear  the  new  gown  Jimsy 
brought  up  for  me  from  the  dressmaker's.  Wasn't 
it  lucky  he  was  coming?  It  wouldn't  have  been 
here  till  Tuesday  or  Wednesday.  That  man's  al 
ways  on  hand  just  when  he's  wanted.  Won't 
those  Parsons  girls  stare !  It'll  give  them  some 
thing  to  talk  about  all  day." 

Jimsy  walked  down  through  the  laurel  bower. 

"  Beth,"  he  said,  by  way  of  salutation,  "  that's 
the  most  common-sense  mountain-climbing  out 
fit  I  ever  saw." 

"  It's  very  rude  to  make  remarks  about  peo 
ple's  clothing  when  they're  not  dressed  to  re 
ceive,"  she  retorted.  "  You're  not  privileged  to 
express  any  opinion.  It's  too  early." 

"  This  is  where  the  early  ungodly  bird  catches 
the  matutinal  angel  unawares.  It's  rather  unusual 
for  you  to  be  up  at  this  hour,  isn't  it?  " 

"  I  should  say  so !  On  a  Sunday  morning,  too ! 
It's  perfectly  heathenish!  But  it's  quite  impos 
sible  to  stay  abed  with  Emma  carrying  on  as  if  it 
264 


PAID    IN    FULL 

was  the  middle  of  the  day.  She's  been  humming- 
all  over  the  house  since  five  o'clock,  and  all  that 
because  she's  going  for  a  climb." 

"  Why,  she  hasn't  slept  a  wink  thinking  of  her 
new  dress,"  laughed  Emma. 

"  Well,  Beth,  by  the  time  you've  got  your  halo 
out  of  curl  and  settle  down  in  your  pew,"  ob 
served  Smith,  "  we  shall  be  several  hundred  feet 
nearer  the  other  cherubs,  listening  to  the  solemn 
anthems  of  the  whispering  pines.  Yes,  I  said 
'  the  solemn  anthems  of  the  whispering  pines.' " 

"Jimsy,  if  I  didn't  know  different  I'd  suspect 
you  of  being  a  poet.  The  next  thing  we  know 
you'll  be  wearing  your  hair  long  and  pouring  out 
your  soul  in  Sapphic  strophes,  like — like  Emma, 
here." 

"Does  Emma  do  that?" 

"  Does  she  ?  Oh,  my,  you  just  ought  to  hear 
her  when  she  Jets  herself  loose !  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  I've  sampled  that  partic 
ular  brand  of  strophes,  and  I  ain't  quite  sure  that 
I  know  just  what  strophes  are;  but  if  Emma 
thinks  they're  all  right  I'll  stand  for  'em." 

"  Oh,  come  en,  Jimsy;  don't  listen  to  her  non- 
265 


PAID    IN    FULL 

sense,"  laughed  Emma.  "  You've  had  your  break 
fast,  haven't  you?" 

"  Yes,  I'm  all  ready." 

They  started  out  briskly,  Emma  showing-  the 
way. 

"  Do  you  know,  it's  a  real  treat  to  go  walking 
with  you,"  she  said.  "  I  know  you  love  it.  I've 
heard  you  say  so.  Beth  can't  bear  long  walks, 
and  as  for  mother,  she  rarely  goes  farther  than 
her  piazza,  rocking  chair.  But  I've  dragged  Beth 
about  and  learned  every  path  through  the  woods 
to  the  summits  and  plateaus.  This  is  the  second 
summer  I've  been  here,  you  know." 

Deserting  the  beaten  path,  they  ascended 
through  forests  of  trees  of  every  description,  but 
as  they  proceeded  along  the  path  in  places  ankle 
deep  in  wet  moss,  and  pushed  through  under 
brush  that  kept  Smith  busy  breaking  a  way  for 
his  dainty,  but  hardy  and  seemingly  tireless  com 
panion,  they  came  into  the  fir  region,  amid  hoary 
giants  that  shot  sheer  to  such  a  height  that  they 
seemed  to  form  pillars  for  the  canopy  of  the 
heavens.  Some  of  these  had  been  blasted,  rent 
asunder,  broken  off  where  the  glaive  of  the  storm 
king  had  flashed.  Some,  stricken  prostrate  dim 
266 


PAID    IN    FULL 

ages  before,  were  crumbling  into  the  dust  to 
which  all  things  must  return.  Emma  regarded 
the  great  trees  with  awe,  but  Smith  laughed.  He 
told  her  they  were  as  saplings  compared  with  the 
mighty  trees  of  the  West.  He  tried  to  describe 
these,  and  became  filled  with  the  fever  of  im 
mensity.  The  long  unfelt  influence  of  the  bor 
derless  prairies,  the  mammoth  mountain  chains 
far  flung  through  the  prodigious  spaces  of  the 
sunset  lands  that  diminished  their  proportions, 
was  upon  him.  His  soul  strained  to  burst  its 
tethers  and  soar  upward  into  the  infinite,  where 
it  could  expand  unrestrained.  Burning  words, 
never  used,  unimagined  before  in  his  unlettered 
mind,  adequate  to  depict  this  liberated  spiri 
tuality,  compelling  words  that  would  have  lifted  to 
his  range  of  vision  and  comprehension,  surged 
tumultuously  to  his  lips — to  die  there.  For  the 
source  of  their  inspiration,  of  this  tremendous 
flight  into  the  divine  azure  from  his  regulated 
role  of  the  commonplace  and  coldly  practical, 
was  the  woman  at  his  side,  the  one  being  in  the 
world  who  was  dear  to  him,  and  ever  had  been, 
whom  he  held  in  little  less  reverence  than  he  didi 
his  Maker.  For  Duty,  which  before  had  trans- 
267 


PAID    IN    FULL 

formed  his  passion  into  a  fraternal  affection,  but 
which  Circumstance  had  transmuted  again  into 
love,  intense,  profound,  consuming,  confronted 
him  with  withering  austerity,  inexorable. 

He  broke  off  his  description  of  the  forest  giants 
and  vast  freedoms  of  the  West  with  a  conclusion 
in  his  ordinary  street-surface  language. 

"  But  there — it's  no  use  me  trying  to  do  any 
lecture  platform  stunts.  I  wasn't  born  with  the 
gift  of  the  gab.  Emma,  them  things  have  got  to 
be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  There's  no  other  way. 
You  understand." 

Yes,  Emma  understood. 

She  had  listened  to  his  brief,  unsuspected  elo 
quence,  catching  her  breath,  watched  the  uncon 
scious,  all-embracing  gesture  sweeps  that 
rounded  out  and  imparted  the  very  sense  of  the 
grandiose  horizons  limned  by  his  words — 'had 
read  his  soul  in  the  light  of  the  celestial  flicker 
that  had  emanated  from  it;  had  seen  the  glory 
of  it  in  his  face — a  glory  transient  as  a  beacon 
flash,  that  was  gone  from  it,  leaving  only  his 
habitual  non-committing  smile,  as  he  turned  to 
her  and  said,  "  You  understand." 

They  continued  the  climb  in  silence,  Emma's 
268 


PAID    IN    FULL 

bosom  rising  and  falling-  rapidly  upon  the  rush 
and  swirl  of  the  torrent  that  raged  beneath  it,  al 
most  sweeping  her  self-control  before  it.  Jimsy 
indeed  loved  her!  Why  had  this  chance  revela 
tion  of  what  her  intuition  had  divined  long  before 
torn  open  the  floodgates  of  her  own  emotions? 
Because  it  had  set  vibrating  every  chord  of  her 
being,  and  every  chord  of  that  being,  as  she  had 
come  to  understand  also,  was  attuned  to  his.  To 
gether  they  had  beheld  the  mirage  of  heaven. 

At  the  upper  edge  of  the  forest  labyrinth  they 
emerged  on  to  a  rocky  plateau,  studded  with 
dwarfed  firs  and  balsam  pines,  but  covered  thickly 
with  aromatic  ferns  and  blueberry  bushes.  From 
all  of  these  the  sun,  now  high,  exacted  its  tribute 
of  fragrance,  a  fragrance  heavy  but  exhilarating, 
that  caused  Emma  and  Jimsy  to  inhale  it  with 
deep  breaths,  that  augmented  the  fever  of  their 
blood  on  fire  coursing  swiftly  through  their  veins. 
We  are  all  helpless  corks  on  the  sea  of  life,  tossed 
hither  and  thither  on  the  wave  crests  of  passion, 
themselves  the  sport  of  the  wind  of  chance. 

Jimsy  bared  his  head  to  the  cool  breeze  that 
swept  the  clearing  and  watched  Emma,  who,  with 
a  little  cry  of  delight,  had  stooped  among  the 
269 


PAID    IN    FULL 

blueberry  bushes  and  was  gathering  a  handful  of 
their  ripe  fruit.  She  was  glad  of  the  pretext  to 
hide  the  upheaval  in  her  heart  that  she  felt  must 
show  in  her  eyes. 

This  upheaval,  sudden  and  almost  overpower- 
ingly  violent  though  it  was,  was  not  of  the  morn 
ing's  forming.  She  had  known  the  calm,  sympa 
thetic  Westerner — as  he  had  reminded  Capt. 
Williams — ever  since  she  was  a  girl  in  short 
frocks.  She  had  soon  come  to  look  upon  him  as  a 
big  brother,  with  whom  she  shared  her  girlish 
troubles  and  in  whom  she  confided  freely,  nat 
urally,  as  a  matter  of  course.  When  she  had  be 
come  a  woman  and  he  had  sought  her  for  his 
bride  she  had  not  been  able,  with  all  her  liking  for 
him,  to  bring  herself  to  consider  him  in  the  light 
of  a  lover.  There  seemed  to  be  something  in 
congruous  in  the  thought. 

After  the  scales  formed  there  by  the  blandish 
ments  and  personal  pulchritude  of  Brooks  had 
fallen  from  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  that  she  had 
bowed  down  to  an  empty,  painted  fetish  of  plaster 
instead  of  to  God  in  the  flesh,  she  had  resigned 
herself  to  the  lot  destiny  had  brought  her,  and 
sought  to  make  the  best  of  it  like  the  pure  woman 
270 


PAID    IN    FULL 

she  was.  Household  drudgery  and  the  stern 
verities  of  her  existence  had  vanquished  and  put 
to  flight  all  her  illusions.  With  them  had  gone 
the  poetic  inspirations  that  had  caused  her  as  a 
girl  to  see  things  as  they  were  not,  and  for  lack 
of  the  responsiveness  and  conditions  that  alone 
could  have  given  it  full  development  she  had 
brought  under  absolute  control  and  repressed  the 
passionate  ardor  that  had  burst  forth  gloriously 
for  a  space.  Love  was  a  delusion.  It  was  not 
what  she  had  conceived  it  to  be.  It  existed  in  per 
fect,  ideal  form  only  in  the  imaginings  of  the 
poets  and  litterateurs.  Had  any  one  suggested  to 
her  that  Jimsy  Smith  was  the  depository  of  it, 
that  his  heart  was  the  altar  on  which  the  sacred 
fire  burned  unquenchable,  that  under  the  crust  of 
his  unemotional  manner  was  a  quiescent  volcano 
of  passion  that  could  be  roused  to  stupendous 
eruption,  she  would  have  laughed. 

As  she  had  grown  wise  and  come  to  look  upon 
Jimsy's  visits  as  pleasant  breaks  in  the  monotony 
of  her  existence,  however,  she  had  obtained 
glimpses  of  his  inner  self,  flashes  of  the  profundity 
of  his  mind,  an  inkling  of  his  elevation  of  senti 
ment  that  escaped  him  in  spite  of  himself,  quite 
271 


PAID    IN    FULL 

unconsciously.  Her  woman's  keen  perception 
had  divined  a  spirituality  that  was  buried  pur 
posely  by  speech  and  conduct.  This  had  inter 
ested  her  and  given  her  food  for  thought,  but  she 
could  find  no  satisfactory  explanation.  The  clue 
to  the  mystery,  which,  truth  to  tell,  interested  her 
but  mildly,  had  come  to  her  first  on  the  evening 
of  her  husband's  attack  on  Capt.  Williams  in 
the  little  Harlem  flat,  when,  after  he  had  let  fall 
and  smashed  the  cup,  he  had  remarked  a  little 
ruefully  that  he  had  let  slip  everything  he  had 
ever  had  in  his  life  that  was  worth  while.  The 
confirmation  of  her  deduction  that  his  unrequited 
love  for  herself  had  been  the  death  of  ambition 
and  accounted  for  his  aimless,  lonely  existence, 
which  she  had  been  inclined  to  reject  as  absurd, 
was  obtained  on  that  momentous  night  just  be 
fore  her  husband  extinguished  utterly  and  for 
ever  the  few  embers  of  love  for  him  that  still  were 
live.  After  he  had  told  her  the  story  of  his  life 
in  his  quaint,  everyday  speech,  and  her  heart  had 
gone  out  to  him  in  that  burst  of  irrepressible 
sympathy,  the  consternation  this  had  caused  him 
had  uncovered  his  secret  as  in  a  book,  for,  in  that 
272 


PAID    IN    FULL 

moment  she  had  seen  beyond  tke  mere  start  of 
timid  modesty. 

Later,  after  the  shock  of  Brooks's  action  had 
ceased  to  obsess  her,  and  he  had  receded  farther 
and  farther  towards  a  memory,  a  disagreeable 
memory  that  her  mind  would  have  shwt  out  for 
ever,  she  had  set  free  her  imprisoned  inclinations. 
Once  more  her  rejuvenated  fancy  had  taken  wing 
to  the  heights  of  the  ideal  and  romantic.  Some 
how  it  had  come  to  associate  Jimsy  with  its  ex 
cursions.  Possessor  of  his  secret,  she  had  set 
herself,  while  disguising  her  task  with  cunning,  to 
the  dangerous  study  of  the  heart  that  had  held 
it  so  long  inviolate.  The  knowledge  that  he 
loved  her  with  such  steadfast  intensity  rekindled 
love  on  the  dead  ashes  her  husband  had  left  be 
hind  ;  and  for  the  very  reason  that  Jimsy  betrayed 
his  sentiments  in  nothing,  held  unswervingly  to 
the  line  of  conduct  towards  her  he  had  followed 
ever  since  she  had  refused  to  take  seriously  his 
offer  of  marriage,  this  love  had  grown  stronger, 
fiercer,  until  it  had  filled  her  life.  She  saw  that 
she  had  passed  happiness  by.  She  exalted  Jimsy's 
secret  passion  until  in  her  imagining  he  became 
the  incarnation  of  nobleness,  of  desire,  of  all  mor- 
273 


PAID    IN    FULL 

tal  joys.  This  is  why  his  lifting  of  the  corner  of 
the  curtain  behind  which  he  concealed  h'is  real  self, 
that  seemed  to  prove-  that  her  most  romantic 
visions  had  nothing  of  hallucination,  that  he  was 
as  she  would  have  him,  as  she  had  molded  him, 
that  his  soul  was  hers,  had  suffocated  her  with 
rapture. 

She  brought  a  heap  of  blueberries  to  him  and 
poured  them  into  his  joined  hands,  and  they 
seated  themselves  on  a  rock  to  eat  them  and  to 
rest. 

"  This  is  the  most  enjoyable  picnic  I've  had  in 
years,"  she  said,  gayly.  '"It  was  quite  an  inspira 
tion  of  yours  to  run  up  to  visit  us.  Why  don't 
you  come  often,  instead  of  spending  your  week 
ends  in  the  hot  city?  You  ought  to  take  a  vaca 
tion  and  stay  here  for  a  few  weeks." 

"  I'd  like  to,  awfully,"  he  told  her,  "  but  the 
fact  is  I'm  too  busy  to  think  of  getting  away. 
Williams  is  piling  a  whole  lot  of  work  and  re 
sponsibility  on  me  these  days.  Williams,  you 
know',  isn't  what  you'd  call  an  easy  boss.  If  he 
raises  a  man's  salary  he  sees  to  it  that  he  gets 
his  money's  worth.  Why,  he  won't  even  help  me 
out.  If  I  think  I  ought  to  ask  his  advice  he 
274 


PAID    IN    FULL 

growls  that  he's  told  me  in  a  general  way  what 
he  wants,  and  it's  up  to  me  to  do  the  rest.  He 
simply  won't  be  bothered,  even  with  matters  that 
ain't  precisely  details.5* 

"  It's  because  he  trusts  you,  Jimsy,"  she  as 
sured  him,  with  an  intonation  perilously  near  to 
tenderness. 

"  So  you  see,"  he  went  on,  "  it's  easier  to  talk 
about  holidays  than  to  get  them.  I  shouldn't  be 
here  now,  for  I'm  working  Sundays  as  well  as 
other  days  at  present,  only  that  I  had  to  come  up 
on  a  matter  of  importance." 

"  Oh ! "  she  said,  with  a  pout,  "  I  thought  you 
came  to  see  us  for  ourselves;  not  on  a  business 
trip.  No  more  berries  for  you." 

"  I  came  for  the  express  purpose  of  seeing  you 
and  of  talking  to  you  alone." 

Her  heart  fluttered  violently,  suffocatingly, 
again. 

"  To  me — alone  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I've  seen  Joe.*' 

The  pronouncing  of  her  husband's  name  was 
to  her  as  a  heavy  blow.  Sweet,  timorous  ex 
pectancy,  hot,  turbulent  blushes  that  she  had  bent 
2/5 


to  hide,  vanished  instantly,  and  she  looked  up  at 
him  startled. 

"Joe  walked  in  on  me  five  nights  ago.  He 
looks  well  and  is  doing  well." 

"What  is  that  tome?" 

The  words  came  in  chilling  accents  and  her 
eyes  grew  hard. 

"  Emma,  do  you  remember  that  on  that  night 
just  before  you  learned  the  truth  I  told  you  about 
that  chap  in  Denver  who  was  long  on  love  and 
short  on  honor,  and  kind  of  took  the  view  that  it 
was  his  wife's  place  to  overlook  things  and  help 
him  get  right  ?  " 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  I'm  still  of  that  opinion." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you — that  you " 

She  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  but  sat  gazing 
at  him  with  wide  eyes,  stark  with  agony  and 
amaze. 

"  I  guessed  you'd  be  kind  of  surprised  to  hear 
from  him.  That's  one  reason  why  I  judged  it 
best  to  explain  the  situation  to  you  alone.  Since 
you  left  Joe  he's  been  leading  a  strictly  honest 
life.  He  has  a  good  job  in  a  bank,  at  a  good 
salary,  has  saved  money,  and  all  he  wants  is  for 
276 


PAID    IN    FULL 

you  to  forgive  and  forget  and  start  over  again. 
Joe's  all  right  now,  there's  no  doubt  about  that, 
for  I've  looked  up  the  record  he's  made  since 
you've  been  separated.  Not  only  that,  but  he 
loves  you  more  than  ever.  That's  Gospel  truth, 
too,  I  know." 

"  Forgive  and  forget !  Yes,  I  have  forgotten, 
and  oblivion  enshrouds  forgiveness  with  it. 
Joseph  Brooks  is  dead,  as  dead  for  me  as  though 
he  were  in  his  grave.  I  have  even  ceased  to  bear 
his  name.  Sometimes  I  have  wondered  if  he  ever 
existed.  If  I  remember  him  it  is  as  one  recalls  a 
nightmare  from  which  one  is  glad  to  have 
awakened." 

She  laughed  a  little  mirthless  laugh,  and,  pluck 
ing  a  fern  branch,  began  to  pick  the  fronds  from, 
it  nervously,  letting  them  fall  to  the  ground. 

"  That's  all  very  well,  Emma,"  he  objected, 
gently.  "  But  Joe  is  none  the  less  very  much 
alive,  and  he  is  your  husband.  You  mustn't  for 
get  that,  ever.  And  he's  all  right,  I  honestly  be 
lieve.  If  he  did  fall  into  temptation  he  meant 
well — he  thought  he  could  put  the  money  back 
easily  enough,  and  he  wanted  you  to  have  more 
comfort  and  be  happy.  The  best  of  us  ain't  no 
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better  than  we  should  be,  if  you  come  right  down 
to  the  contemplation  of  the  naked  fact.  You 
know  that  the  Book  says  '  there  is  not  a  just  man 
upon  earth  that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not.'  TQ 
me,  the  man  who  is  real  sorry  for  having  done 
wrong — especially  when  his  wrongdoing  had 
such  a  pardonable  motive  as  Joe's  had — is  as 
good  as  he  was  before  he  did  the  thing." 

"  You  are  the  one  man  I  know  whom  I  would 
never  have  suspected  of  harboring  a  treasury  of 
such  homely  platitudes,"  she  said,  scornfully. 

"  If  it  were  only  a  question  of  forgiving  a  man 
who  had  sinned  so  weakly  as  that,  but  it  isn't," 
he  went  on.  "  More  is  involved — his  absolution 
and  salvation  by  duty,  if  not  by  love.  Emma, 
you  are  Joe  Brooks's  wife.  You  took  oath  before 
God — and  you  meant  it  then — to  stick  by  him  in 
adversity  as  in  prosperity,  to  help  him  in  time  of 
trouble.  Your  place  is  by  his  side  now.  Yours 
is  the  only  hand  that  can  guide  him  right." 

She  rose  and  placed  both  of  her  little  gloved 
hands  on  his  shoulders  and  looked  into  his  eyes. 

"  Do  you  beliere  what  you  are  telling  me, 
Jimsy  Smith  ? "  she  asked,  gently.  "  Do  you, 
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speaking  from  your  inmost  heart,  order  me  to 
return  to  the  arms  of  that  man  ?  " 

He  rose,  holding-  her  wrists  firmly  against  his 
shoulders,  and  speaking  with  intense  earnestness : 

"  Emma,  there  are  some  things  on  this  earth 
that  we're  called  on  to  do,  ordained  by  an  all- 
wise  and  merciful  Providence.  We  may  not  like 
to  do  them,  but  it  is  not  a  matter  of  inclination. 
We  have  to  make  our  decisions  by  the  rule  of 
right  or  wrong.  We  can't  shirk  it  and  cast  about 
for  excuses.  Is  it  right  or  is  it  wrong?  It's  an 
arbitrary  rule,  but  I  guess  it  works  out  for  the 
best  in  the  end.  Yes,  I  reckon  it  is  for  the  best  in 
the  end.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  so.  There 
fore  I  say  go  back  to  Joe,  your  husband.  Joe 
pleads  to  your  heart  that  was  his.  '  Tell  her,'  ke 
said,  'that  I'm  more  sorry  than  I  can  express; 
that  I'm  sorry  and  miserable.  Tell  her  that  there 
is  no  light  in  life  without  her.'  Those  were  about 
his  words." 

He  released  her  wrists.  She  had  listened  to 
him  at  the  last  with  averted  face  that  was  blood 
less  and  looked  ghastly  under  its  coat  of  sun  tan. 
She  walked  away  wrestling  with  herself. 

Smith  stood  as  impassive  as  fate.  But  on  his 
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brow  a  dampness  had  gathered,  and  she  had  seen 
the  sweat  beads  ooze  there  as  he  spoke. 

The  little  cool-clad  form  with  its  clinging  skirt 
returned  slowly. 

"  Jimsy,  why  did  he  charge  you  to  tell  me  these 
things?" 

"Why?  I  don't  know.  Because  I'm  his  friend 
and  yours,  I  suppose.  Because  there  was  no  one 
.else  could  do  it." 

"And,  like  the  good  man  you  are,  you  were 
governed  in  your  decision  by  the  rule  of  right  and 
wrong." 

"  That  was  about  it,  if  you  cut  out  the  qualifi 
cation  of  me." 

"  And  having  been  influenced  to  assume  this 
role  of  ambassador  by  a  sense  of  duty  and  loy 
alty,  feeling  bound  to  do  so  for  the  very  reason 
that  would  have  deterred  a  man  of  ordinary 
moral  calibre,  you  would  have  adhered  to  the 
rule  though  every  word  of  your  counsel  had  been 
to  you  as  the  sear  of  a  white-hot  iron  and  its 
Utterance  had  been  death." 

For  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  saw  a  look  of 
Sternness  pass  over  his  face.  And  it  was  mingled 
'with  pain. 

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"  Emma,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  we'll  go  d©wn 
now.  And  we'd  better  take  a  short  cut,  if  there 
is  one,  or  we  won't  be  home  for  dinner.  You 
must  be  hungry  and  of  all  the " 

"  No,  Jimsy,  hear  me,"  she  interrupted.  "  You 
must  and  shall  hear  me.  You  have  said  what  you 
had  to  say;  now  it  is  my  turn,  and  I,  too,  will 
speak  plainly.  You  believe — you  know — I  am, 
and  always  have  been,  a  good  woman.  You  be 
lieve  that  I  was  faithful,  as  far  as  was  humanly 
possible,  to  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  letter  of  my 
marriage  vows,  made  fervently,  trustingly.  I 
swore  to  love  and  honor  Joe  Brooks.  It  was 
easy,  for  I  did  then  love  and  honor  him,  beyond 
understanding  now.  But  neither  love  nor  honor 
is  kept  alive  eternally  by  the  virtue  of  an  oath  in 
the  face  of  delusion  and  worthlessness.  Gold 
was  tinsel,  diamond  was  glass.  You  were  witness 
to  the  slow  murdering  of  love  and  you  saw  it 
strangled  and  thrown  down  at  the  last  as  he 
would  have  strangled  me  had  you  not  prevented." 

He  would  have  spoken,  but  she  checked  him 
with  a  gesture  of  command. 

"  No,  don't  interrupt ;  hear  me  to  the  end 
and  then  speak.  What  is  this  thing  that  you  are 
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asking  me  to  do?  Do  you  know?  Let  us  bring 
your  own  rule  to  the  consideration  and  decision 
of  it.  Is  it  the  pardoning  of  a  dear  one  turned 
thief  for  love  of  me?  No;  that  were  compre 
hensible  to  any  wife,  perhaps,  and  already  done 
were  that  all.  But  it  is  not.  You  are  asking  me 
to  go  to  a  living  death,  to  make  of  my  heart  a 
sepulchre  of  all  sweet  or  elevating  emotion,  to 
surrender  my  lips  to  the  fetid  kiss  of  an  Iscariot, 
to  deliver  my  body  to  his  loathsome  embraces, 
while  my  soul  sickens  with  disgust  and  horror — • 
rny  body  that  he  would  have  betrayed,  hired  out 
for  a  piece  of  silver,  and,  gloating,  taken  back 
again.  You  are  asking  me  to  immolate  myself 
with  all  that  I  hold  sacred  and  beautiful  on  an 
altar  that  you  style  duty.  Now  apply  your  rule 
to  Ais>  Is  it  right?  Is  it  wrong?  Ofa,  Jimsy, 
answer  me !  Before  God,  is  it  right  ?  " 

She  stood  trembling  with  the  vehemence  of  her 
defense  and  the  strength  of  her  feeling,  her  arms 
outstretched  in  interrogation  and  appeal 

A  great  sigh  was  the  indication  of  the  conflict 
tfeat  was  raging  in  Smith's  heart,  and  for  one 
smgie  instant  the  mask  of  impenetrability  fell 
from  Ms  face. 

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She  read  the  answer  there. 

Removing  feverishly  the  glove  from  her  left 
hand,  she  forced  from  her  finger  the  wedding  ring; 
that  in  the  years  had  tightened  closely  upon  it, 
and  hurled  it  from  her.  It  ricochetted  on  a  rock 
and  went  bounding  over  the  outer  edge  of  the 
plateau  far  down  into  the  pathless,  tangled  brush 
of  the  almost  perpendicular  declivity. 

Smith  turned  away  in  silence,  and  in  silence 
they  made  their  way  back  along  the  little  path  up 
which  they  had  come.  Neither  spoke,  even  at  the 
difficult  places  when  he  stretched  out  his  hand 
and  helped  her  with  its.  strong,  sustaining  clasp. 

Jimsy  was  grave  and  abstracted.  In  his 
Gethsemane  he  had  drunk  too  deeply  of  the 
waters  of  knowledge,  and  they  were  bitter-sweet, 
heavily  impregnated  with  regret  and  dismay. 
Emma  had  discovered  the  secret  which  for  years 
he  had  guarded  so  jealously  and — oh !  the  blissful 
torture  of  it ! — had  revealed  to  him  that  she  loved 
him.  This  was  the  outcome  of  his  self-sacrificing; 
mission  on  behalf  of  the  husband  who  stood  be 
tween  them  with  the  right  of  the  might  of  law; 
and  the  conventions,  and  whose  trust  was  in  the 
keeping  of  his  honor.  His  role  of  platonic  friend- 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

ship  was  ended.  His  privileged  relations  with  the 
woman  who  was  dearer  to  him  than  life  could  no 
longer  be  maintained.  The  home  of  the  Harris 
family  could  no  longer  be  the  refuge  of  his  loneli 
ness,  the  pleasant  oasis  in  the  desert  of  his  exist 
ence,  where  he  could  find  consolation  and  rest  for 
his  suffering  heart;  beyond  which  the  world  lay 
dark  and  indiscernible. 


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CHAPTER  XXII 

'  was  to  Brooks  an  interminable  week  that 
elapsed  between  his  visit  to  Smith  and  the 
latter's  return  from  his  mission.  Patience 
was  not  one  of  his  virtues.  Having  taken  the  de 
cisive  step  towards  a  reconciliation  with  Emma, 
he  yearned  more  than  ever  for  his  wife  herself. 
He  saw  her  now  only  as  she  was  when  he  had 
made  her  his  bride,  only  as  she  had  been  in  the 
full  flowering  of  her  rhapsodic  adoration,  and  the 
vision  abided  with  him  by  day  as  well  as  by  night, 
enthralling  all  his  senses. 

That  the  rapprochement  would  be  effected  he 
entertained  no  doubt  whatever.  Her  present  po 
sition,  he  was  convinced,  must  be  intolerable.  He 
planned  to  make  her  homecoming  an  occasion  of 
festivity  and  voluptuous  joy  that  would  mark  the 
beginning  of  a  new,  unending  honeymoon.  He 
had  learned  much  from  the  desolation  of  a  love 
less  life.  Things  that  had  bored  him  would  now 
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be  delights.  He  would  comport  himself  differ 
ently  towards  her  in  many  ways. 

He  spent  his  leisure  time  after  business  hours 
and  on  the  Sunday  while  Smith  was  away  in  look 
ing  up  apartments  and  in  other  preparations  for 
the  resumption  of  housekeeping;  also  in  elaborat 
ing  the  programme  of  celebration. 

It  was  with  eagerness  and  confidence  that  he 
repaired  to  Smith's  lodgings  on  the  Monday 
evening,  having  ascertained  at  the  boarding 
house  during  the  day  that  his  friend  had  returned 
that  morning  from  his  trip  out  of  town.  To  him 
it  was  now  merely  a  question  of  making  definite 
arrangements  for  Emma's  reception.  His  spirits 
were  high,  and  it  was  with  effusive  cordiality  that 
he  greeted  Jimsy  when,  in  his  usual  uncere 
monious  manner,  he  invaded  his  sanctum. 

Smith  was  of  too  frank  a  nature  to  keep  him. 
for  one  minute  under  the  delusion  he  saw  by  his 
manner  he  entertained.  Emma  had  demonstrated 
to  him  the  impossibility  of  cohabitation  with  her 
husband  and  the  futility  of  further  effort  to  that 
end;  shown  him  that  a  new  and  brighter  flame, 
all  consuming,  all  purifying,  had  enveloped  her 
heart,  and  that  it  had  purged  it  of  every  trace  of 
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the  old  slain  sentiment.  The  knowledge  that  it 
burned  for  him  made  his  present  task  a  peculiarly 
hard  and  painful  one. 

"  I'm  sorry,  Joe,"  he  said,  almost  before  his 
visitor  had  seated  himself,  "  but  there's  nothing 
doing." 

Brooks's  expectant  smile  died  out. 

"How  do  you  mean  nothing  doing?  Wasn't 
she  there?  Weren't  you  able  to  see  her?" 

"  Yes,  I  saw  her,  and  she  refused." 

"Refused?" 

"  Absolutely.  She  will  have  nothing  further  to 
do  with  you." 

Incredulity  gave  place  quickly  to  bitter  dis 
appointment. 

"  How's  that?  What  did  you  say  to  her?  " 

"  I  told  her  that  you  were  leading  a  straight 
life,  all  about  your  circumstances,  that  you  were  • 
sorry  for  what  had  occurred  and  that  in  future  it 
would  be  all  different,  and  you  would  do  every 
thing  in  your  power  to  make  her  happy.  I  told 
her  that  you  loved  her  more  than  ever.  But  it 
was  no  use." 

"  Didn't  you  advise  her  to  make  up?  " 

"  I  did,  Joe.    I  urged  her  to  forget  and  forgive 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

— pleaded  hard  for  you — told  her  I  thought  she 
ought  to  return  to  you.  She  said  she  could  have 
forgiven  the  matter  of  the  money,  but  that  in 
sending  her  to  Captain  Williams's  that  night  you 
killed  every  bit  of  her  love  for  you,  and  she  would 
never  pardon  your  act  as  long  as  she  drew  breath. 
'  He  is  dead  to  me  for  all  time,  dead  and  buried,' 
she  said.  I  hate  to  have  to  tell  you  these  hard 
things,  but  you  asked  me  to  act  for  you,  and  I  am 
bound  in  common  honesty  to  give  you  the  result, 
just  as  it  is." 

"  You  believe  she  really  meant  it?  " 

"  I  am  convinced  she  did  and  that  nothing  will 
make  her  change  her  mind." 

"It's  all  rot!"  remonstrated  Brooks,  angry 
and  aggrieved.  "  She  knew  she  was  talking  rot, 
too.  She  herself  told  me  that  nothing  happened 
to  her  when  she  went  to  Williams's.  She  gave 
him  some  soft  talk,  cried  a  little,  maybe,  when 
she  pleaded  for  me,  and  because  he  liked  her  he 
gave  her  the  paper  releasing  me.  That's  all  there 
was  to  it.  It  was  as  easy  as  rolling  off  a  log,  and 
I  don't  see  why  she  should  still  be  making  such  a 
fuss  about  it,  do  you?" 

"  I  think  I  do.  You  took  the  chance  that  some- 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

thing  might  happen  to  her.  You  must  have  ex 
pected  that  it  would,  and  you  were  prepared  to 
shut  your  eyes  so  long  as  she  got  what  you 
wanted.  That's  what  she  can't  overlook." 

"  Then  you  think  she  did  right  in  leaving  me?  " 

"That  is  a  question  I'd  rather  not  pass  upon. 
It  ain't  any  part  of  what  you  asked  me  to  do." 

"  But  I  want  to  know  what  you  think." 

"  And  I'd  rather  not  express  any  opinions  one 
way  or  the  other.  I'm  a  friend  of  both  of  you, 
and  you  ought  not  to  ask  me  such  a  thing." 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  be  afraid!  We're  us  two  to 
gether.  Her  attitude's  most  unreasonable,  I 
think,  and  I'd  be  surprised  if  you  didn't  think  so, 
too." 

"  My  views  wouldn't  help  the  situation  one 
way  or  the  other,  and  we'll  cut  them  out  if  you 
please." 

"  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  something  had 
to  be  done — done  at  once — and  there  was  no 
other  way  out  of  it  than  by  getting  her  to  see 
Williams.  In  the  morning  it  would  have  been 
too  late.  She's  making  a  mountain  out  of  a  mole 
hill,  and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you've  been  help 
ing  her,  with  your  straight-laced  ways." 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Thanks.  I  didn't  bring  that  subject  up  at  all 
— never  opened  my  mouth  about  it." 

"  You  must  have  rubbed  her  temper  up  the 
wrong  way,  then.  I  ought  to  have  seen  her  my 
self.  I  might  have  known  you'd  bungle  the  whole 
business." 

"  Joe,  I  did  the  very  best  for  you  I  could,  the 
best  I  knew  how.  I  can  imagine  how  you  feel 
about  it,  and  I'm  sorry  for  you,  real  sorry  for 
you." 

Brooks  made  a  savage  dive  for  the  matchbox 
and  relit  his  cigar  that  had  gone  out. 

"  Look  here,  Jimsy,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  want 
your  pity  nor  anybody  else's.  What  I  want  is 
help.  We've  gone  about  this  matter  all  wrong. 
I  ought  to  have  seen  her  myself,  and  then  every 
thing  would  have  been  O.  K.  I  could  have  fixed 
it  up  with  her  in  two  minutes.  I  will  see  her  at 
once.  Give  me  the  address." 

"  It  would  be  useless,  and  would  only  make 
matters  worse." 

"  Never  mind  about  that.  That's  my  affair. 
Give  me  the  address." 

"  I  can't." 

"  You  mean  you  won't  ?  " 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Well,  I  won't,  if  you  wish  me  to  put  it  that 
way." 

"  You  have  no  right  to  stand  between  a  man 
and  his  wife." 

"  No,  Joe,  and  God  is  my  witness  that  I  would 
not  wittingly  do  such  a  thing  for  all  earth  has  to 
offer." 

"  Then  tell  me  where  she  is  to  be  found." 

"  I  am  still  enjoined  from  doing  so,  and  it's 
quite  out  of  the  question." 

Brooks  rose  excitedly,  an  ugly  scowl  on  his 
face. 

"  There  is  some  other  motive  for  this,"  he  said, 
"  and  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is.  You  don't  want  us 
to  come  together  again.  It  ain't  to  your  interest. 
You're  standing  in  with  that  mother  of  hers." 

"  You  know  that  is  not  true,"  returned  Smith, 
earnestly.  "  I  have  done  all  I  could  for  you."  • 

"  Yes,  you  have!  "  sneered  Brooks,  his  temper 
rising  rapidly  and  getting  more  and  more  beyond 
control.  "Why  don't  you  want  us  to  make  up? 
Do  you  think  I  don't  know?  Do  you  think  I 
"haven't  seen  that  you've  been  jealous  of  me  ever 
since  Emma  turned  you  down  ?  Do  you " 

"Joe!" 

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Smith  also  rose  and  faced  him,  very  white,  all 
the  kindliness  gone  from  his  visage. 

"  Do  you  think  I  don't  know  why  you've  been 
snooping  around  her  skirts,  installing  yourself  as 
one  of  the  family  in  my  home?  I'm  not  blind 
when  it  doesn't  suit  me  to  be,  and  I've  had 
enough  of  being  fooled  and  walked  all  over  by 
everybody  who  wanted  to  wipe  their  feet  on  me." 

"  Joe,  my  boy,  you  don't  know  what  you're 
saying,  and  you'll  be  sorry  when  you  cool  down." 

"  Sorry,  nothing ! "  he  shouted,  beside  himself 
with  fury.  "  You  make  me  sick  with  your  slow 
talk  and  oily  ways!  What  do  you  think  I  am? 
You'll  give  me  that  address  this  minute,  or  by 
heck  I'll  hack  it  out  of  your  carcass ! " 

He  picked  up  a  jack-knife  which  at  the  time  of 
his  arrival  Smith  had  been  using  to  cut  the  leaves 
of  a  book,  and  rushed  at  him. 

Jimsy's  big  hands  descended  on  both  his  as 
sailant's  wrists.  Brooks  was  strong,  but  he 
strained  in  vain  in  the  grasp  of  iron.  His  right 
arm  slowly  weakened  and  twisted  gradually  until 
the  fingers  opened,  and  with  a  groan  of  pain  he 
dropped  the  blade.  Smith  continued  to  twist 
until  he  had  wrung  all  the  fight  out  of  him  and 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

he  had  him  limp  and  helpless.  Then  he  let  him 
go  and  picked  up  the  knife. 

"  You'd  better  leave  lethal  weapons  out  of 
your  arguments,  Brooks,  or  you'll  sure  be  hurt 
ing  somebody  one  of  these  days,"  he  recom 
mended.  "  It's  dangerous — dangerous  to  your 
self  as  well." 

Brooks,  sullen  and  panting,  dropped  into  a 
chair,  tears  of  humiliation  and  baffled  rage  hover-, 
ing  tremulously  in  his  eyes. 

"  It  was  your  fault — you  drove  me  to  it,"  he 
declared. 

"  It's  a  mighty  bad  thing,  as  a  general  rule,  to 
let  your  ill  humor  get  away  with  your  nerves," 
chided  Smith,  "  because  you're  apt  to  say  and  do 
things  that  are  utterly  foolish.  You  have  acted 
to-night  like  a  petulant  kid,  instead  of  like  a  man 
I've  tried  to  help.  As  far  as  I'm  concerned, 
you've  put  yourself  out  of  court,  and  I'm  through 
trying  to  do  anything  for  you." 

"  And  I'm  through  asking  you  to  do  anything 
fer  me,"  he  retorted,  jumping  up  and  clapping 
his  hat  on  his  head.  "  I  don't  want  any  more 
favors  of  the  kind  you've  been  handing  out  so 
smugly.  I  know  what  I've  said  to-night,  and  it 

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doesn't  carry  any  apology  with  it,  either.  You 
can  all  go  plumb  to  Podunk,  every  one  of  you — 
you,  my  loving  wife  and  the  old  woman.  I'm 
shut  of  the  whole  crowd,  for  good  and  all." 

He  rushed  out,  bounded  down  the  stairs  and 
the  front  door  slammed  violently. 

Smith  lighted  a  cigar,  solace  and  sedative  of 
the  wrought-up  man,  and  ruminated  sadly  for 
awhile.  He  thought  of  Emma,  of  the  worthless 
husband  to  whom  she  was  tied,  and  of  the  false 
position  all  round  in  which  he  found  himself  as 
the  result  of  his  peacemaking  effort. 

Ah !  God,  how  he  loved  her ! 

With  a  weary  sigh  he  fetched  out  plans  and 
figures  and  began  to  work.  It  was  hard  to  con 
centrate  his  mind,  but  application  at  length  sub 
dued  the  turmoil  of  his  thoughts  and  work,  that 
"pledge  of  cheerful  days  and  nights  without  a 
groan,"  his  unfailing  narcotic  for  the  perturba 
tion  of  his  spirit,  absorbed  him  until  tired  nature, 
coming  to  its  support,  did  the  rest. 

While  Jimsy  Smith  worked  that  he  might  for 
get,  Brooks,  the  heat  of  his  anger  cooled,  sat 
down  in  his  lonely  room  to  consider  the  unex 
pected  change  in  the  situation.  The  failure  of  his 
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plans  was  a  blow  to  him,  but  this  time  the  prick 
ing  of  the  bubble  of  his  optimism,  which  had 
soared  so  high,  instead  of  plunging  him  imme 
diately  into  the  gloomiest  despondency,  found  its 
contrast  in  bitter  resentment  against  both  his  wife 
and  Smith.  In  the  moral  abasement  that  glossed 
the  heinousness  of  his  own  action  he  really  did 
believe  that  he  had  just  cause  for  grievance  in 
Emma's  attitude,  that  she  was  making  much  ado 
about  nothing. 

What  nonplussed  him  was  that  she  had  not  be 
come  so  wearied  of  her  life  with  her  mother  and 
Beth  as  to  have  left  a  way  open  for  further  nego 
tiation.  He  still  believed  that  could  he  have  seen 
her  himself  he  would  have  been  able  to  work 
upon  her  feelings  so  that  she  would  have  re 
turned  with  him.  He  cursed  Smith  for  a  fool  and 
a  blunderer.  At  least  he  did  not  believe  the  ac 
cusations  he  had  hurled  at  him  in  his  rage  and 
disappointment.  He  had  never  considered  him 
in  any  other  light  than  that  of  a  good-natured, 
old-womanish  friend  of  the  family,  who  did  any 
thing  for  anybody,  and  with  whom  anybody  could 
take  liberties.  He  could  see  nothing  in  him  cal 
culated  to  inspire  any  woman  with  more  than  or- 
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dinary  liking  and  indulgent  toleration,  not  to 
speak  of  Emma,  who  was  one  of  those  quiet, 
good  little  women  whose  always  correct  de 
meanor  and  devotion  to  home  and  husband  con 
stituted  the  most  effective  discouragement  of  any 
tendency  to  undue  familiarity.  He  never  had  had 
the  slightest  scruple  in  leaving  them  together. 

Her  reception  of  his  overtures  had  practically 
dispelled  the  glamour  of  romance  in  which  he  had 
clothed  her  in  his  visions,  but  he  was  still  un 
willing  to  forego  the  advantages  and  gratification 
of  desire  he  had  associated  with  her  return.  To 
find  her  was  impossible.  He  had  ascertained  per 
sonally  that  the  Harris  family  had  been  away  for 
several  months,  and  that  no  one  at  the  house 
knew  where  they  had  gone.  He  resolved  to  make 
one  final  attempt  to  soften  her  by  means  of  a 
letter,  and  he  set  about  it  forthwith.  It  was  an 
epistle  of  many  pages,  a  melodramatic  jumble  of 
contrition,  amorousness  and  despairing  supplica 
tion,  for  he  was  no  master  in  the  art  of  writing. 
But  he  was  highly  satisfied  with  it.  To  make  it 
the  more  impressive  he  blurred  it  here  and  there 
with  drops  of  water,  thinking  this  would  convey 
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the  idea  that  he  had  been  moved  to  tears  as  he 
penned  it. 

"  If  this  doesn't  do  the  trick  nothing  will,"  he 
muttered,  after  he  had  perused  it  for  the  third 
time.  "  And  if  it  doesn't  I'll  quit.  She'll  never 
get  another  chance  from  me." 

He  addressed  it  to  her  care  of  Jimsy  Smith, 
knowing  the  latter  would  see  that  it  reached  its 
destination.  It  came  back  under  cover  through 
the  same  medium,  unopened,  with  the  word 
"Refused"  written  large  across  the  envelope  in 
Beth's  handwriting.  The  word  was  a  full  con 
firmation  of  Jimsy's  report  of  his  mission. 

Brooks  gnashed  his  teeth,  banished  his  dreams 
of  a  renewal  of  happiness  with  his  wife  and 
clinched  a  resolution  that  had  been  forming  in 
his  mind  as  an  alternative — to  seek  relief  in  an 
other  and  facile  love  from  the  depression  of  his 
solitary  existence, 


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CHAPTER   XXIII 

AUTUMN,  chilly  and  wet,  had  brought 
sojourners  in  the  country  early  to 
town — among  them  Mrs.  Harris  and  her 
daughters.  Mrs.  Harris  had  requisitioned 
Jimsy  Smith's  services  before  she  descended 
from  the  mountains.  There  was  a  lot  to  do  on 
their  arrival.  Would  he  mind  attending  to  this 
and  that  for  them,  and  would  he  meet  them? 
Jimsy  duly  attended  to  this  and  that,  met  them 
in  his  old  genial  way,  saw  them  installed  in  their 
home,  dined  with  them,  as  per  Mrs.  Harris's 
schedule — and,  although  the  winter  was  well  ad 
vanced,  had  never  been  there  since,  except  to 
make  a  brief  call  at  Christmas. 

At  each  of  these  visits  Emma  had  thrilled  at 
sight  of  him  and  at  the  sound  of  his  voice,  and 
her  heart  had  beat  as  though  it  would  burst 
through  her  body.  It  was  with  timidity  that  she 
riad  extended  her  hand  to  him,  but  neither  by 
pressure  of  his  clasp  nor  by  any  sign  of  manner, 
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expression  or  intonation  had  he  given  indication 
of  remembrance  that  their  secret  was  known  to 
each  other.  He  was  the  same  quiet,  kindly  un 
changeable  Jimsy.  By  her  alone  was  his  pro 
longed  absence  understood.  Mrs.  Harris  and 
Beth  marveled  greatly  and  were  offended.  They 
could  net  imagine  why  he  should  have  ceased 
his  formerly  frequent  visits.  He  answered  their 
written  reproaches  with  the  excuse  that  pressure 
of  work  precluded  proper  attention  to  the  social 
duties  he  owed  his  only  friends.  His  letters 
always  reflected  his  good  humor,  and  they  be 
came  satisfied  that  it  was  not  pique  at  any  fancied 
slight  that  kept  him  away.  Mrs.  Harris  and 
Beth  finally  attributed  it  to  a  reluctance  to  meet 
continually  on  an  equal  footing  his  employer, 
Capt.  Williams,  who  had  taken  Jimsy's  place  as 
extra  member  of  the  family  and  usurped  all  his 
prerogatives. 

To  Emma  the  Captain  was  no  longer  an  object 
of  fear  and  detestation.  She  knew  that  his  affection 
was  purely  paternal,  and  he  knew  that  she  under 
stood  him  as  no  one  dead  or  living  ever  had  or 
did.  She  manifested  her  appreciation  of  his  re 
gard  by  a  confidence  which  was  to  the  old  fellow 
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a  comfort  and  huge  delight.  Not  that  his  de 
light  took  a  demonstrative  form;  that  was  not 
in  his  nature;  and  Emma  would  have  been 
greatly  astonished  could  she  have  known  what  a, 
boon  to  him  her  frank  friendliness  was.  It 
showed  itself  in  divers  ways,  though,  notably  in 
a  disposition  to  ascertain  her  opinion  of  things. 
This  was  remarkable,  considering  the  man,  who 
all  his  life  had  formed  his  own  judgments  from  his 
own  observations  and  cared  nothing  for  what 
others  might  think,  despising  especially  the 
opinions  of  women. 

The  fact  was  that  his  good  deed  to  Emma 
had  been  the  first  striking  effect  of  a  softening 
process  that  had  been  going  on  very,  very  slowly, 
so  slowly  as  not  to  be  noticeable  to  any  extent,  for 
several  years,  which  began  when  he  had  been 
admitted  to  the  family  circle  of  his  late  general 
manager,  and  with  which,  all  unconsciously, 
Emma  had  had  a  good  deal  to  do.  He  had  an 
chored  himself  to  the  family  as  his  one  connection 
with  refinement  and  home  life.  But  it  had  been  a 
cautious  anchoring,  maintained  with  distrust,  and 
carrying  with  it  no  reciprocity  in  the  shape  of 
business  or  any  other  favors.  A  fighter  who  had 
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got  nothing  out  of  existence  without  fighting, 
ever  on  the  alert  to  forestall  an  expected  treach 
erous  blow,  his  hand  had  flown  to  his  hip  pocket, 
so  to  speak,  at  the  slightest  movement  that  ap 
peared  to  him  to  be  suspicious. 

As  time  wore  on,  however,  his  distrust  had 
vanished  and  Mrs.  Harris  and  her  daughters  had 
become  a  necessity  to  him.  He  was  being  civil 
ized.  He  preferred  Emma  to  the  others,  which 
is  saying  that  she  was  the  person  he  liked  best 
on  earth,  but  his  manner  of  showing  it  had  been 
repellent  because  misunderstood.  In  the  first 
place  she  had  hated  him  for  his  supposed  injus 
tice  to  her  husband,  whereas,  having  read  Brooks 
through  from  the  start,  he  despised  him,  and 
would  not  help  him  even  to  make  her  lot  easier. 
In  the  second  place  there  had  been  his  reputa 
tion  for  licentiousness,  exaggerated  by  Brooks, 
and  his  notorious  brutality  and  lack  of  scruple  in 
the  past.  But  when  reawakened  distrust,  bat 
tling  with  unwillingness  to  believe  that  his  high 
estimate  of  her  had  been  unmerited,  had  caused 
him  to  try  her  out  relentlessly  on  the  occasion 
of  her  appeal  for  Brooks,  alone  with  him  and  at 
his  mercy  in  his  rooms,  she  had  seen  that  a  warm 
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heart,  full  of  pure  regard  for  her,  beat  beneai.w 
his  forbidding  exterior.  From  that  night  she 
had  learned  to  respect  him  and  judge  him  at  his 
real  value.  His  actions  and  idiosyncrasies  re 
ceived  at  last  their  true  interpretation. 

As  for  Williams,  the  proof  that  he  had  not 
been  deceived  in  her  fortified  his  faith  and  made 
him  really  happy.  He  was  getting  old.  He  had 
won  his  hard-fought,  life-long  battle  with  the 
world  and  was  as  rich  as  he  cared  to  be.  The 
devil  was  disposed  to  turn  monk.  His  mag 
nanimity  to  her,  carrying  with  it  as  it  had  the  re 
ward  of  much  self-satisfaction,  had  vivified  a 
latent  generosity  that  was  putting  him  on  better 
terms  with  humanity.  In  the  home  of  the  Har 
ris's  he  enjoyed  the  sweet  intimacy  of  member 
ship  by  right  of  old  acquaintance  and  latterly  of 
unreserved  welcome.  The  yearning  for  affec 
tion,  not  demonstrative,  but  existent,  that  came 
with  the  approach  of  life's  sunset  and  which  was 
not  to  be  found  elsewhere,  was  gratified  there. 
He  put  on  slippers,  smoked  his  pipe,  had  his 
favorite  chair,  expressed  his  views  in  his  authori 
tative  way,  and  liked  to  be  consulted. 

But  he  never  ceased  to  be  impressed  with  the 
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ostentatious  proclivities  and  aristocratic  airs  of 
Mrs.  Harris  and  Beth,  though  he  laughed  in 
dulgently  at  many  of  the  mother's  foibles.  To  him 
the  two  women  represented  the  beau  monde,  and 
were  authorities  on  all  that  pertained  thereto. 
He  deemed  it  a  privilege  to  place  one  of  his 
automobiles  at  the  family's  exclusive  command, 
and  it  was  the  most  luxurious  vehicle  money 
could  buy.  That  he  did  not  give  it  outright  was 
because  he  knew  their  circumstances  would  not 
enable  them  to  maintain  it.  He  had  developed 
a  most  commendable  instinct  of  delicacy  in  some 
things  in  the  recent  course  of  the  taming  and 
civilizing  process. 

Emma  was  different  from  her  mother  and  sis 
ter.  She  never  gave  herself  airs.  He  felt  him 
self  nearer  to  her,  and  the  more  intimate  they 
grew  the  more  she  became  endeared  to  him.  She 
had  changed  much  since  she  had  left  Brooks. 
A  spirituality  that  he  had  not,  of  course,  known 
in  her  in  the  old  days  had  increased  the  charm 
of  her  personality,  but  her  sensible,  unaffected 
manner,  her  gentleness,  were  always  the  same. 
More  than  once  he  had  surprised  a  wistful,  far 
away  look  in  her  eyes,  a  fleeting  expression  of 


PAID    IN    FULL 

melancholy,  and  his  solicitude  had  been  aroused. 
Something  caused  him  to  refrain  from  question 
ing  her,  but  he  did  considerable  pondering 
about  it. 

"  What  a  shame  it  is  that  a  girl  like  Emma  isn't 
married  to  some  nice  fellow  worthy  of  her,"  he 
remarked  one  evening,  uttering  his  thoughts 
aloud,  after  a  lull  in  the  conversation  during 
which  he  had  witnessed  one  of  her  moments  of 
absence.  Thoughtfully  he  knocked  the  ashes 
out  of  his  pipe  as  he  continued:  "There  are 
some  things  that  no  man  can  understand,  and 
this  is  one  of  'em,  that  she  should  be  handcuffed 
to  a  dirty  scallawag  like  Brooks." 

"  Captain ! "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Harris,  raising  her 
hands.  "  You  musn't !  You  know  it  is  under 
stood  that  the  person's  name  is  never  to  be  men 
tioned." 

"  I  know,"  he  said,  "  but  you  can't  alter  facts 
because,  being  disagreeable,  you  don't  want  to 
remember  'em.  Brooks  is  a  disagreeable  fact — 
a  darned  disagreeable  fact — and'  he's  Emmafs 
husband  into  the  bargain.  As  such  he  ain't  to 
be  ignored  altogether,  because  he's  the  open 
sewer  that  stands  between  her  and  the  fair  pas- 
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PAID    IN    FULL 

ture  lands,  and  can't  be  crossed,  and  can't  be  got 
around." 

"Why,  Captain,"  smiled  Emma,  "I'm  happy 
enough.  What  more  could  I  want  than  the 
peace  I  have?" 

"Are  you  sure,  girl?"  he  answered,  shaking 
his  head  doubtfully.  "  I  don't  know — I  don't 
know." 

"  Certainly  she's  happy,"  put  in  Beth.  "  Why 
shouldn't  she  be?  She  herself  says  she  has 
everything  she  could  possibly  want.  And  as  for 
getting  married  again — I  should  think  she'd  had 
enough  of  that  to  last  her  all  her  life." 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  concurred  her  mother. 

"  It's  your  turn,  now,  Beth,"  observed  Emma. 

"Me?     Oh,  I  shall  never  marry!" 

"Bless  me,  and  why  not?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Harris. 

"  It  doesn't  follow  because  I  have  been  unfor 
tunate  that  you  should  be,"  said  Emma.  "  It 
doesn't  follow  at  all.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  of 
perfect  happiness  with  the  right  husband." 

"  Of  course  I  mean  I  won't  marry  until  the 
proper  man  comes  along.  7  should  never  make 
the  mistake  of  binding  myself  to  such  a  man 

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as — as  that  beast,  or  even  Jimsy,  for  instance, 
though  I'm  not  comparing  Jimsy  with  him  in  any 
way." 

"What's  the  matter  with  Smith?"  grunted  the 
Captain. 

"  Well,  you  would  never  think  of  him  as  a 
lover.  He's  so  old  and  so  unromantic.  Besides, 
his  education's  terribly  defective." 

"  And  he  isn't  rich,"  added  her  mother.  "  When 
Beth  marries  I  hope  it  will  be  to  a  gentleman  in 
the  position  to  keep  her  as  she  ought  to  be  kept. 
I  hope  fate  will  be  kinder  to  you  in  this  respect, 
child,  than  it  was  to  me  and  your  sister." 

"  Harris  was  all  right,"  said  the  Captain  un 
easily.  "  You  couldn't  have  found  a  better  man 
on  the  footstool." 

"  None  better  ever  breathed/'  she  sighed, 
raising  her  handkerchief  to  dab  her  eyes.  "  If 
he  hadn't  been  so  slow  in  business !  " 

"  I  wonder  why  Jimsy  doesn't  come  around 
any  more,"  said  Beth.  "  He  hasn't  been  here 
since  Christmas." 

"  He  says  he's  too  busy,"  observed  Mrs.  Har 
ris.  "  Captain,  you  must  be  working  him  to 
death." 

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"  Smith's  a  good  man,  a  corking  good  man," 
replied  the  Captain  thoughtfully.  "  He's  doing 
more  work  than  any  three.  He's  a  good  execu 
tive,  too — keeps  his  grasp  on  things." 

"  Jimsy  always  was  that  conscientious,"  com 
mented  Mrs.  Harris, 

"There  ain't  no  necessity  that  I  know  of  for 
him  to  work  all  night,  though,  if  that's  what  he's 
doing." 

"Then  what  do  you  think  can  keep  him 
away  ?  " 

"  I  can't  hazard  a  guess." 

Emma  appeared  to  be  absolutely  indifferent  to 
the  turn  the  conversation  had  taken,  though  in 
truth  she  was  listening  greedily  to  Williams's 
encomiums. 

"  D'  you  know,"  went  on  the  Captain,  "  I've 
often  thought  that  a  man  like  Smith  would  be 
just  the  right  kind  of  a  husband  for  Emma." 

"  Like  Jimsy?  "  Mrs.  Harris  laughed.  She  did 
not  know  whether  he  was  joking  or  not,  but 
thought  he  was. 

This  time  a  sudden  flush  dyed  Emma's  cheeks 
and  deepened  over  her  face  to  the  very  ears.  No 
one  noticed  it,  however,  unless  it  was  the  Cap- 

307 


tain,  but  when  he  was  leaning  forward  with  his 
hands  between  his  knees,  as  he  was  then,  his 
bushy  eyebrows  bent  in  thought,  it  was  impos 
sible  to  tell  where  he  was  looking. 

"That's  what  I  said,"  he  emphasized.  "Take 
Smith  himself,  for  the  sake  of  argument.  We're 
talking  among  ourselves,  so  it  don't  matter,  as  it 
won't  go  any  further.  Suppose  Emma  'd  mar 
ried  him  ?  Is  his  heart  all  right  ?  Yes,  he's  good 
to  everybody — wouldn't  hurt  a  fly — kind  of  man 
one  likes  to  have  around,  as  I've  seen  here.  Is 
he  on  the  level?  I'd  bank  on  him,  and  that's 
more'n  I'd  say  of  any  other  man  I  know.  Is  he 
capable  ?  Brainy  as  they  make  'em.  Is  he  good 
looking*?  He  ain't  bad  looking,  and  with  that 
smile  of  his  he  has  most  good  lookers  I've  seen 
beat  a  mile.  Beth  says  he  ain't  poetic  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing.  Maybe — maybe,  but  what  of 
that?  Also  she  says  he  ain't  what  you'd  call 
educated.  That  may  be,  too,  but  when  he  wants 
to  he  can  bring  an  amount  of  cold  sense  to  bear 
that'H  upset  most  men's  logic  and  gives  a  bluff 
no  chance.  He'll  go  far  if  he  keeps  on,  for  all 
his  slow  ways,  and  let  me  tell  you  it  ain't  the  man 
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who  starts  off  at  top  speed  that  always  wins  the 
race." 

"  What  you  say  may  be  all  true,  and  it's  all 
very  well;  but  just  the  same,  these  qualities 
haven't  made  Jimsy  rich,  so  far,  and  I  doubt  if 
they  ever  will.  A  man  can't  have  everything,  but 
money,  as  I've  often  told  my  girls,  makes  up  for  a 
lot  of  shortcomings,  and  without  it — what?  Here's 
Emma,  married  for  seven  years,  separated  from 
her  husband,  can't  get  a  divorce,  unless  it's  of  the 
Dakota  sort,  which  I'd  never  consent  to,  hasn't 
got  a  cent  in  the  world  and  couldn't  collect  a  cent 
of  alimony  if  she  had  the  right  to  it,  because  the 
beast's  a  pauper." 

"  No,  and  if  he  were  as  wealthy  as  the  Grand 
Turk  I'd  starve  to  death  before  I'd  touch  any 
money,  or  anything  else  belonging  to  him,"  com 
mented  Emma. 

"  Mrs.  Harris,"  answered  the  Captain  with 
deep  feeling.  "  To  a  certain  extent  you're  right, 
and  I  don't  blame  you  for  wanting  to  see  the  girls 
well  fixed  in  money  matters.  But  money,  while 
it's  a  whole  lot,  ain't  everything,  as  I've  found, 
though  it's  taken  me  sixty-five  years  to  do  it. 
It's  no  fault  of  Emma's  that  she's  poor,  and  I 
309 


PAID    IN    FULL 

tell  you  that  if  she  was  to  marry  a  man  like 
Smith  I'd  settle  half  a  million  dollars  worth  of 
Latin-American  Line  stock  on  her  for  a  wedding 
present,  I  would,  by  God,  m'am!" 
t  "You  would  do  that?"  asked  Mrs.  Harris, 
open  mouthed,  overwhelmed  with  astonishment 
at  this  outburst. 

"  This  minute." 

"Well!" 

It  was  all  she  could  find  to  say  about  the  reiter 
ation. 

But  if  the  family  were  amazed  Williams  was 
evidently  alarmed  at  having  allowed  his  feelings 
to  get  the  better  of  his  discretion  in  this  way,  for 
he  lapsed  into  gloomy  silence,  from  which  a 
change  of  subject,  discreetly  introduced  by 
Emma,  failed  to  draw  him,  and  very  soon  de 
parted  abruptly. 


310 


PAID    IN    FULL 


MR.  BROOKS  would  like  to  see  you,  sir.  I 
told  him  you  were  in,  but  he  wouldn't 
come  up,  and  asked  me  to  let  you  know 
he  was  downstairs." 

"Tell  him  it's  all  right.     I'll  see  him," 

"  You  mean  that  he's  to  come  up?" 

"Yes,  if  he  doesn't  mind." 

The  landlady  went  out,  gathering-  from  the 
visitors  unusual  request  and  her  boarder's  reply 
that  there  had  been  trouble  between  them. 
Jimsy  pushed  away  the  book  he  had  been  read 
ing  and  leaned  back  in  his  chair  to  await  his  for 
mer  friend's  coming. 

Brooks  shuffled  rather  than  walked  in.  He 
did  not  offer  to  shake  hands,  but  with  a  subdued 
"  Hello,  Jimsy,"  seated  himself  on  the  edge  of 
the  armchair  that  in  former  days  he  occupied  as 
his  own.  Then  he  seemed  to  forget  where  he 
was,  sank  back,  shrinking  into  his  overcoat,  and 

3" 


PAID    IN    FULL 

sat  as  though  stupefied,  twisting  his  hat  in  his 
hands  slowly  and  mechanically. 

Smith  was  shocked  at  the  change  in  his  ap 
pearance.  His  face  was  white  and  thin,  and  the 
eyes,  which  were  almost  expressionless,  were 
deep  sunk  in  the  sockets.  There  was  stubble  on 
his  chin;  his  formerly  neatly  plastered  hair  was 
dishevelled. 

Jimsy  held  out  the  cigar  box  to  him,  and  the 
action  roused  him,  but  he  refused  the  proffered 
smoke  with  a  gesture,  following  it  up  with : 

"  Thanks,  no,  thanks." 

The  words  came  with  obvious  effort. 

"  Boy,  you're  ill,"  said  Jimsy  with  concern. 
"  Let  me  get  a  bracer  for  you." 

He  rose  and  produced  a  decanter  of  whiskey, 
but  again  his  visitor  declined,  this  time  with  a 
wan  flickering  smile  of  appreciation. 

"  No,  thanks,  Jimsy.  I  don't  feel  like  it  just 
now.  I've  been  drinking  too  much  of  the  stuff, 
and  I  haven't  eaten  since  last  night,  I  think." 

"  For  heaven's  sake ! "  exclaimed  Jimsy. 

Brooks  would  have  restrained  him,  but  he  was 
out  of  the  door  and  bounding  downstairs  three 
steps  at  a  time.  Never  since  he  had  first  set 
312 


PAID    IN    FULL 

eyes  on  him  had  he  known  Jimsy  to  hurry,  yet 
this  startling  exhibition  of  alacrity,  whatever 
effect  it  may  have  had  on  the  landlady,  did  not 
appear  to  strike  Brooks  as  unusual.  He  simply 
sank  back  into  the  chair  and  relapsed  into  his 
condition  of  hebetude. 

In  a  little  while  Smith  returned,  a  plate  heaped 
high  with  sandwiches  in  one  hand,  and  a  bowl  of 
hot  bouillon  in  the  other.  He  was  still  wonder 
ing  at  Brooks's  statement  that  he  had  partaken 
much  of  whiskey,  for  whatever  other  vices  the 
man  had  possessed  drinking  spirits  had  not  been 
one  of  them.  Brooks  refused  the  sandwiches,  but 
he  took  the  bowl,  and,  holding  it  in  both  hands — 
which  trembled — as  though  to  warm  them, 
sipped  its  grateful  contents.  Jimsy  let  him  drink 
and  abstained  from  asking  questions.  By  the 
time  the  bowl  was  empty  the  bouillon's  stimu 
lating  effect  was  apparent  in  a  return  of  lustre  to 
the  eyes  and  the  steadiness  with  which  he  de 
posited  the  utensil  on  the  table. 

"  Jimsy,  you're  awfully  good,"  he  sighed. 

"  Oh,  no — none  of  that,"  protested  Smith. 
"Tell  me  what  brought  you  here.  What  can  I 
<!o  for  you  ?  " 

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PAID    IN    FULL 

"I  don't  know  why  I  came,  after — after  the 
way  I  acted  last  time.  I " 

"  Never  mind  that.     Let's  forget  about  it." 

"  No,  I  have  no  right  here.  But  I  seemed 
drawn — drawn.  And  now  I'm  here,  I  must  tell 
you.  Jimsy,  I'm  done  for." 

"How  done  for?" 

"I  am,  and  you'll  kick  me  out  as  I  deserve 
when  you  know." 

"  Not  that,  I  guess." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will,  unless  you  call  the  police. 
Jimsy,  I've  done  it  again.  I'm  a  thief  a  second 
time,  and  again  for  a  woman." 

Smith  looked  grave,  but  he  said  nothing. 

"  What !  You  don't  get  up  and  kick  me  ? 
Well,  well!  I  suppose  it's  just  like  you,  but  I 
rather  hoped  you  would.  You're  the  only  man 
who  wouldn't.  But  wait  till  you  hear.  I  can  tell 
it  to  you,  because  you  can't  help  me.  Nobody 
can.  I'm  beyond  helping." 

"  Better  try  a  sandwich  first,"  suggested  Smith. 
"There's  no  hurry." 

This  time  Brooks  heeded  the  suggestion. 

"  Thanks,  I  think  I  will.  That  beef  tea  did 
me  good." 


PAID    IN    FULL 

He  ate  three  sandwiches  ravenously,  washing 
them  down  with  water.  They  imparted  strength 
and  toned  up  his  system  so  that  by  the  time  he 
was  ready  to  begin  his  narrative  he  had  recov 
ered  something  of  his  ordinary  alertness. 

"There  isn't  a  whole  lot  to  relate,"  he  said. 
"  You  can  fill  in  the  details  for  yourself.  It's  an 
old  story,  and  I  ought  to  have  known  what  would 
happen,  but  I  wouldn't  see  because  I  didn't  want 
to,  because  I  was  fool  enough  to  think  it  was 
different.  To  begin  with,  I  simply  couldn't  stand 
the  way  I  was  living,  and  when  Emma  wouldn't 
come  back  to  me  I  looked  around  for  another 
woman  to  love.  I  found  her  all  right — loved  her, 
too.  She  had  me  plumb  crazy.  She  was  a 
vaudeville  dancer.  I  was  introduced  to  her  in  a 
set  of  sports  with  whom  I  struck  up  an  acquaint 
ance  through  a  fellow  I  knew.  She  handled  me 
carefully  until  she  got  me  going ;  then  she  devel 
oped  a  taste  for  diamonds  and  other  high-priced 
things.  I  couldn't  let  go  of  her  even  when  all 
my  savings  had  been  eaten  up.  Money  had  to 
be  raised  somehow.  I  tried  backing  the  ponies 
again,  then  I  stole  from  the  bank.  When  I 
couldn't  afford  any  longer  to  go  the  pace  I  had 
I  315 


\ 

PAID    IN    FULL 

been  going  she — well,  you  can  guess  the  rest.  I 
could  have  stood  anything  except  that — her  go 
ing  away — last  week.  That  broke  me  all  up. 
Lord  knows  where  she's  gone,  I  don't.  But  I 
can  guess  who's  with  her.  There  was  an  exami 
nation  of  the  books  at  the  bank  four  days  ago. 
I  didn't  turn  up  there  that  day  and  I  haven't  been 
there  since,  but  of  course  the  game  is  up.  I 
wandered  about  trying  to  find  her  and  drinking 
to  try  to  forget  my  troubles  till  all  my  money 
was  gone.  Then  I  sobered  up — and  here  I  am. 
This  time  there's  no  one  to  save  me.  The  bank 
couldn't  be  fixed,  even  if  I  had  the  funds  to  make 
my  stealings  good.  They'd  get  me  wherever  I 
hid  myself,  that's  sure.  They  must  be  looking 
for  me  now.  And  oh,  God !  I  can't  face  it !  " 

Tears  rained  down  his  face,  tears  that  he  made 
no  effort  to  hide  or  wipe  away. 

"  I  knew  I  was  going  headlong  down  to  hell — 
knew  what  I  was  doing — saw  the  certain  punish 
ment — yet  couldn't  stop  myself.  And  now  I 
have  reached  the  mouth  of  the  pit." 

He  shuddered,  and  writhed  in  agony  of  tor 
ment,  turning  his  pitiful,  streaming  eyes  upon 
Smith. 

316 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Oh,  Jimsy,  if  you  would  only  kill  me  and  end 
it  all,"  he  moaned.  "  Oh,  if  I  only  had  the 
courage  to  kill  myself ! " 

Smith,  greatly  agitated,  looked  at  the  miser 
able  man  in  perplexity. 

"  I  wish  I  could  help  you,  Joe,"  he  said.  "  But 
this  time  I  don't  see  how  you  can  be  helped." 

"  It  isn't  possible.  There's  nothing  you  could 
do.  I'm  done  for." 

There  was  a  long  and  painful  interval,  during 
which  Brooks  wept  aloud,  his  face  buried  in  his 
arm  on  the  table.  Jimsy  watched  him  moodily 
and  smoked.  He  could  not  help  but  pity  him, 
yet  had  not  the  heart  to  seek  to  encourage  him. 
He  concluded  that  the  most  merciful  thing  he 
could  do  was  to  let  him  have  his  cry  out. 

Brooks  raised  his  head  at  last. 

"  It's  my  own  fault,"  he  sobbed.  "  I  brought 
it  all  on  myself.  I  have  been  weak,  oh,  weak, 
and  a  fool.  And  now  it's  come  to  this.  No, 
nobody's  to  blame  but  myself — unices  it's 
Emma." 

He  rose  to  go. 

"  Shake  hands  with  me,  Jirnsy,"  he  begged. 
"  It's  the  hand  of  a  thief,  a  criminal's  hand,  but 

317 


PAID    IN    FULL 

you  were  glad  to  take  it  in  friendship  once,  when 
it  was  honest,  and  it's  the  last  time  I'll  ever  ask 
you  to  do  anything  for  me.  You'll  never  see  me 
again." 

Smith  grasped  the  hand  held  out  to  him  and 
his  pressure  was  more  eloquent  of  his  feelings 
than  mere  words  could  have  been.  He  could 
find  no  phrases  adequate  to  express  them,  so  re 
mained  silent;  but  he  slipped  into  the  wretched 
man's  pocket  as  Brooks  passed  out  of  the  door 
a  bundle  of  banknotes  that  he  had  taken  without 
counting  from  a  drawer. 


318 


CHAPTER  X-XV 

SNOW  had  begun  to  fall.  A  high  wind, 
blowing  apparently  from  all  quarters, 
hardened  the  flakes  and  propelled  them 
with  stinging  force  into  the  faces  of  the  people 
in  the  streets.  Those  who  had  umbrellas  bent 
behind  them  and  pushed  against  the  storm  at 
the  risk  of  being  flanked  by  the  shifting  gusts 
and  seeing  their  shields  collapse  outwards. 
Brooks  had  no  umbrella,  nor  had  he  gloves,  and 
the  wind  cut  to  the  bone.  Yet  he  paid  scant 
heed  to  his  discomfort  and  ambled  away  from 
Smith's  abode. 

As  he  walked  the  realization  that  had  haunted 
him  ever  since  he  had  been  sober  that  every 
man  passing  on  the  street  might  be  a  detective 
seeking  to  seize  him  as  a  felon  chilled  him  more 
than  the  wind  did.  He  turned  up  his  coat  collar 
and  pulled  his  hat  over  his  eyes.  More  than 
once,  when  he  thought  he  was  being  followed, 

319 


PAID    IN    FULL 

he  went  sick  with  fear.  Every  minute  he  ex 
pected  to  feel  a  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

He  grew  desperate  at  last,  and  an  idea  that 
had  germed  earlier  in  the  day,  but  which,  terri 
fied,  he  had  tried  to  extirpate,  only  to  find  it 
springing  up  again,  presented  itself  once  more, 
this  time  for  analysis.  Familiarity  had  shorn  it 
of  much  of  its  fearsome  aspect. 

Why  should  he  lack  the  pluck  to  kill  himself? 
A  fugitive  from  justice,  friendless  and  penniless, 
everything  that  was  worth  while  in  life  gone  for 
ever,  what  had  he  to  hope  from  living?  The 
prison  door  from  which  he  had  shrunk  with  such 
dread  before,  now  was  wide  open  to  receive  him, 
would  receive  him  as  inevitably  as  day  would 
follow  the  night.  He  always  had  feared  death 
as  he  had  always  feared  everything  that  de- 
imftnded  the  exercise  of  courage  to  confront. 
But  now  the  more  he  considered  it  the  more  it 
commended  itself  to  him  as  a  quick  solution  of  all 
his  troubles.  He  remembered  having  read  that 
a  man  shot  through  the  brain  never  felt  the  mes 
senger  which  snuffed  out  his  life.  In  the  drawer 
of  his  bureau  was  a  loaded  revolver  that  he  had 
long  kept  there  for  self-protection  in  case  of 
320 


PAID    IN    FULL 

i>eed.  A  movement  of  his  finger  would  end  all. 
He  would  not  even  know  that  the  shot  had  been 
fired.  A  feeling  almost  of  relief  came  with  this 
thought,  and  he  quickened  his  steps.  There  was 
only  one  thing  to  fear  now,  that  he  would  be 
caught  before  he  could  reach  his  room. 

He  had  a  long  way  to  walk — the  idea  of  riding 
did  not  occur  to  him,  for  he  did  not  know  that 
he  possessed  the  wherewithal  to  pay  carfare,  to 
buy  another  meal — and  as  he  trudged  along  he 
found  himself  at  the  corner  of  the  street  in  which 
the  Harrises  lived.  He  wondered  if  they  were 
still  there.  The  house  was  only  a  few  doors 
away.  An  irresistible  impulse  took  him  towards 
it.  Yes,  the  name  was  on  the  letter-box. 

He  turned  away  with  a  sigh.  Emma  doubtless 
was  upstairs;  he  had  been  within  a  few  feet  of 
her.  Emma !  How  different  she  had  been  from 
the  other!  She  had  not  taken,  she  had  given. 
Love  had  not  been  dependent  upon  the  bringing 
of  gifts,  it  had  been  lavished  upon  him.  When 
he  had  been  despondent  she  had  comforted  him ; 
when  things  were  going  wrong  she  had  encour 
aged  him;  when  his  head  had  ached  she  had 
rested  it  on  her  bosom.  And  it  had  come  to  this, 
321 


PAID    IN    FULL 

that  he  had  lost  her,  and  with  her,  all;  that  he 
was  an  outcast  at  her  door. 

An  insane  desire  to  see  her  took  possession  of 
him.  It  grew,  became  overpowering,  swept 
aside  all  the  objections  of  reason.  He  was  a 
dying  man,  and  nothing  was  denied  to  the  dying. 
Thus  she  could  not  refuse  him  the  last,  supreme 
consolation  of  pardon,  humbly,  penitently  im 
plored.  He  retraced  his  steps  and  rang  the  bell. 
The  door  opened  and  he  ascended  the  well-re 
membered  stairs.  Mrs.  Harris's  flat  was  on  the 
first  landing.  A  maid  who  did  not  know  him 
answered  his  ring. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Brooks  at  home?  "  he  asked. 

The  girl  shook  her  head. 

"  Mrs.  Brooks?  No,  no  one  of  that  name  lives 
here." 

"This  is  Mrs.  Harris's  apartments?" 

"  Yes." 

"Is  she  in?" 

"No,  Mrs.  Harris  and  Miss  Beth  have  gone 
out.  Miss  Emma  is  in." 

Miss  Emma!  She  had  even  discarded  his 
name,  then.  The  blow  was  hard. 

"  I  would  like  to  see  her." 
322 


PAID    IN    FULL 

"  Your  card,  sir,  please." 

"  Tell  her  Mr.  Smith  is  calKng." 

The  name  had  flashed  to  him  with  the  convic 
tion  that  she  would  not  receive  him  if  he  gave 
his  own. 

He  followed  on  the  heels  of  the  maid. 

"  You  needn't  bother,"  he  said,  and  brushed 
past  her  at  the  door  of  the  parlor. 

Emma  was  arranging  some  ornaments  on  the 
mantelpiece.  She  turned  with  an  inquiring  look 
as  he  entered.  For  a  moment  she  did  not  recog 
nize  him.  Then  she  recoiled  with  a  little  cry 
from  the  wild-eyed,  dishevelled  spectre  who,  hat 
in  hand,  stood  before  her. 

"  Yes,  Emma,  it's  me,  or  what  is  left  of  me," 
he  said. 

"  What  brings  you  here  ?  How  did  you  get 
in?"  she  demanded,  with  frightened  eyes. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  you  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  me,"  he  assured  her.  "  I'm  going  on  a  long 
journey,  yes,  a  long,  long  journey,  and  I've  come 
to  say  good-bye.  You'll  never  see  me  again.  I 
shall  be  no  more  trouble  to  anybody." 

"  There  was  no  need  to  come  here,  I  cannot 
receive  you.     You  must  go." 
323 


PAID    IN    FULL 


"  I  cannot  listen  to  your  excuses.  It  is  useless 
to  recall  the  past.  Please  go." 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  recall  it.  I  ask  only  your 
forgiveness,  ask  it  as  a  dying  man.  You  <sannot 
refuse." 

"  You  have  been  dead  long  years  to  me,  and  I 
have  prayed  God  that  I  might  never  see  you 
again.  I  paid  you  in  full  for  my  freedom.  Why 
have  you  come  to  trouble  me?  Go,  please,  and 
leave  me  in  peace." 

"  All  right,"  he  said  sorrowfully.  "  I  will  go. 
Good-bye,  Emmal" 

With  bowed  head  he  went  towards  the  door, 
stopped,  and  turned  to  her  with  outstretched 
arms,  pleading  in  his  eyes. 

"  Emma,  one  kiss — my  pardon  and  absolution 
before  I  die." 

"No,  oh,  no!" 

She  retreated,  shuddering,  terrified. 

He  followed  her,  desperate,  resolved  to  take 
by  force  what  she  would  not  give,  to  feel  once 
more  in  his  arms  the  little  form  that  once  had 
nestled  there  fondly,  swooning  with  love  of  him. 

324 


PAID    IN    FULL 

She  read  his  purpose  and  shrieked. 

Mrs.  Harris,  Beth  and  Capt.  Williams  were 
just  entering,  and  they  rushed  in  with  the  maid. 

Brooks,  himself  frightened,  had  abandoned  his 
purpose,  and  turned  to  escape  as  Emma,  almost 
hysterical  with  horror  and  fear,  uttered  scream 
after  scream.  He  ran  right  into  Williams,  who 
recognized  him  at  once,  and  dealt  him  a  smash 
ing  blow  that  sent  him  to  the  floor.  Then  the 
Captain  grasped  the  half-stunned  man  and,  pull 
ing  him  to  his  feet,  held  him  while  he  inquired 
what  had  happened. 

Emma,  calmed  by  her  mother  and  sister, 
tremblingly  explained.  Williams  looked  at  his 
prisoner,  undecided  what  to  do.  Brocks  did  not 
open  his  mouth.  The  Captain  saw  that  he  had 
wasted  to  a  shadow  of  his  former  self  and  was 
incapable  of  resisting,  in  fact,  that  he  could  hardly 
stand.  He  walked  him  out  on  the  landing,  and, 
threatening  to  kill  him  if  he  ever  dared  to  molest 
Emma  again,  threw  him  down  the  stairs. 


325 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

BRUISED  and  dazed,  aching  all  over,  and 
very  weak,  Brooks  picked  himself  up  and 
made  his  way  to  the  street.     He  had  now 
reached  the  extreme  of  hopelessness  and  despera 
tion.     Everybody,  the  whole  world,  was  against 
him,  except  Jimsy  Smith,  and  he  could  do  nothing 
for  him.     The  only  being  who  had  loved  him  had 
shrunk  from  him  with  dread,   refused  him  the 
sacrament  of  a  last  kiss,   besought   in  charity. 
Death  would  be  kinder  far,  for  it  would  end  his 
misery  and  he  would  find  rest  of  body  and  mind 
in  eternal,  dreamless  sleep.     The  sooner  he  en- 
,tered  into  it  the  better. 

He  hardly  knew  how  he  got  there,  but  he 
reached  home  without  molestation,  and  mounted 
by  the  stairway  unperceived  to  his  room.  Once 
inside  he  locked  the  door  and  turned  on  the  light. 
It  was  at  least  gratefully  warm  there,  and  he  was 
at  last  safe  from  the  clutches  of  the  law.  Escape 
lay  at  his  hand.  In  a  moment  all  would  be  over. 
326 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Nothing-  had  been  disturbed  during  his  ab 
sence.  The  revolver  was  still  in  the  drawer 
where  he  had  left  it.  He  took  it  and,  gazing  at 
himself  in  the  bureau  glass,  raised  the  firearm  to 
his  right  temple.  He  was  appalled  as  he  looked 
at  the  ghastly,  haggard  face  before  him,  and  the 
eyes,  fear-haunted,  that  stared  out  of  their  dark 
and  deeply  sunken  rims  like  the  optics  of  an  owl. 
The  revolver  shook  in  his  numbed  hand  and  he 
could  scarce  bend  his  finger  on  the  trigger. 

What  was  his  hurry?  Why  not  wait  until  he 
had  warmed  his  hand  and  make  the  deed  surer? 
If  the  police  came  for  him  death  was  at  his  beck 
and  would  cheat  them  at  an  instant's  notice.  His 
craven  spirit  inspired  him  with  the  desire  to  Kve 
a  little  longer. 

He  laid  the  revolver  on  the  table  and  rubbed 
his  hands  to  set  the  blood  circulating.  Then  he 
held  them  over  the  heat  radiator.  He  remem 
bered  that  in  the  clothes  closet  was  a  full  bottle 
of  whiskey.  The  stuff  would  soon  warm  him. 
He  took  off  his  overcoat  to  hang  it  up  in  the 
closet,  and  felt  in  a  pocket  for  his  handkerchief. 
His  hand  encountered  the  roll  of  bills  Smith  had 
slipped  in  there.  For  a  moment  a  gleam  of  hope 
327 


PAID    IN    FULL 

flashed  its  cheering  ray  as  he  contemplated  the 
money.  Here  was  enough  to  enable  him  to  get 
away. 

But  his  despondency  refused  the  comfort. 
W'hat  was  the  use?  To  attempt  escape  now 
would  be  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  police 
sleuths  who  must  be  on  the  lookout  for  him.  He 
surmised  that  the  weather  had  driven  the 
watchers  to  take  shelter,  and  had  enabled  him  to 
slip  into  the  house  unnoticed  or  unrecognized. 
No,  he  had  done  with  life  and  all  its  worries  and 
disappointments.  Better  death  than  the  conse 
quences  of  living.  He  would  have  to  die  at  some 
time  or  other,  anyhow. 

He  poured  out  a  large  glass  of  whiskey  and 
swallowed  it.  The  fiery  stuff  warmed  him  all 
over.  He  sat  down  to  think,  and  his  thoughts 
took  the  shape  of  a  review  of  his  life.  He  had 
never  been  any  good  to  himself  or  anybody  else, 
never.  Brought  up  by  a  maiden  aunt  who  had 
taken  him  in  when  as  a  young  boy  he  had  lost 
his  widowed  mother,  he  had  repaid  her  with  way 
wardness  and  indifference.  In  the  declining1 
years  of  her  life  when  she  needed  aid  and  he  was 
a  young  man  he  had  kept  his  earnings  selfishly 
328 


PAID    IN    FULL 

for  himself,  doling  out  to  her  a  few  dollars  at 
irregular  intervals,  and  he  was  glad  when  she  had 
ceased  to  be  a  burden  by  dying  in  a  hospital.  He 
had  played  his  cards  well,  ingratiated  himself 
into  the  favor  of  Mr.  Harris,  his  employer,  and! 
by  good  acting  had  won  the  love  of  Emma.  This 
had  been  the  great  coup  of  his  career,  but  it  had 
availed  him  little.  Fortune,  after  smiling  at  him, 
had  turned  her  back  and  life  had  been  a  failure 
ever  since. 

As  he  summed  it  all  up  and  contemplated  him 
self  as  a  pariah,  a  hunted  man  at  bay  amid  the 
wreck  of  hope,  love,  life  itself,  driven  to  the  alter 
native  of  a  criminal's  cell  or  self-destruction,  by 
the  wiles  of  a  soulless  harlot  who  had  lured  him 
to  ruin  and  then  abandoned  him;  as  he  brooded 
over  this  and  the  way  in  which  he  had  been 
spurned  and  cast  out  by  those  who  might  have 
loved  and  honored  him,  tears  rolled  from  his  eyes 
again. 

"  Yes,"  he  groaned,  repeating  Emma's  words, 
"yes,  I  have  been  paid  in  full — and  I  have  paid 
in  full." 

The   whiskey  bottle    stood   beside  him.      He 
picked  it  up  and  took  a  long  draught  from  it. 
329 


PAID    IN    FULL 

Then  he  grasped  the  revolver  and  faced  himself 
at  the  mirror  again.  This  time  his  fingers  were 
warm  and  supple.  Once  more  he  raised  it  to  his 
temple.  Once  more  pale  fear  obtained  the  as 
cendancy. 

There  was  plenty  of  time.  Why,  since  he  was 
to  die  that  night,  should  he  be  in  such  a  hurry? 
Men  who  were  dying  or  who  were  about  to  be 
speeded  into  eternity  for  transgression  of  the 
commandment  that  placed  a  ban  on  murder  gen 
erally  prayed,  or  prayers  were  said  for  them.  He 
had  not  prayed  since  he  could  remember.  True, 
at  first  he  had  gone  to  church  regularly  with 
Emma  and  her  mother  and  sister,  or  with  Emma 
alone,  but  that  was  not  because  he  had  faith  in 
the  efficacy  of  prayer,  for  he  had  been  a  scoffer 
who  believed  in  nothing.  It  had  been  simply  a 
part  of  his  acting.  But  now  he  stood  on  the 
brink  which  all  must  reach  sooner  or  later,  from 
which  at  the  last  there  is  no  turning  back.  What 
would  happen  after  his  leap  into  the  unfathom 
able  void?  He  had  always  derided  the  idea  that 
anything  would  happen.  Still,  he  did  not  know. 

He  took  another  long  drink.  Then  he  went 
to  the  clothes  closet  and  from  among  some 
330 


PAID    IN    FULL 

books,  mostly  novels,  heaped  in  disorder  on.  a 
shelf  he  brought  forth  a  Bible.  It  had  belong-ed 
to  his  aunt,  and  he  had  kept  it,  because  it  had 
looked  well  to  have  one  in  evidence  in  the  parlor, 
and  because  it  was  nicely  bound  in  soft  leather. 
He  did  not  know  where  what  vaguely  he  sought 
was  to  be  found.  He  opened  the  book  at  hazard. 
Its  pages  divided  at  Ecclesiastes,  and  he  began 
to  read.  Though  the  liquor  was  fast  clouding 
his  brain,  he  became  fascinated  with  the  great 
immortal  masterpiece  of  pessimism,  the  terrible 
monument  of  negation,  in  which  humanity's  ever 
lasting  wounds  are  laid  bare  and  bleeding. 

"  I  have  seen  all  the  works  that  are  done  under  th« 
sun;  and  behold  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 

"That  which  is  crooked  cannot  be  made  straight;  and 
that  which  is  wanting  cannot  be  numbered. 

"  I  communed  with  mine  own  heart,  saying,  Lo  I  am 
come  to  great  estate,  and  have  gotten  more  wisdom  than 
a1!  they  that  have  been  before  me  in  Jerusalem:  yea,  my 
heart  had  great  experience  of  wisdom  and  knowledge. 

"  And  I  gave  my  heart  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  know 
madness  and  folly:  I  perceived  that  this  also  is  vexation 
of  spirit. 

"  For  in  much  wisdom  is  much  grief;  and  he  that  in- 
«reaseth  knowledge  increaseth  sorrow." 

"That's  right,"  he  assented,  reaching  for 


PAID    IN    FULL 

bottle,  "that's  dead  right.  Nothing's  worth 
while,  nothing  matters." 

"  What  hath  man  of  all  his  labor,  and  of  the  vexation 
of  his  heart,  wherein  he  hath  labored  under  the  sun.? 

"  For  all  his  days  are  sorrows,  and  his  travail  grief; 
yea,  his  heart  taketh  not  rest  in  the  night.  This  is  also 
vanity." 

The  verses  succeeded  each  other  with  their 
recapitulation  of  the  futility  of  earthly  things. 
His  head  became  heavy  and  the  letters  indistinct. 
He  began  to  have  difficulty  in  grasping  the  mean 
ing  of  the  words. 

"  "That  which  befalleth  the  sons  of  men  befalleth  beasts; 
even  one  thing  befalleth  them:  as  the  one  dieth,  so  dieth 
the  other;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath;  so  that  a  man 
hath  no  pre-eminence  above  a  beast;  all  is  vanity. 

"All  go  unto  one  place;  all  are  of  the  dust,  and  all 
turn  to  dust  again. 

"Who  knoweth  the  spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward, 
and  the  spirit  of  the  beast  that  goeth  downward  to  the 
earth?" 

He  could  read  no  further.  Again  and  again 
he  tried  to  take  up  the  discourse  of  the  Preacher, 
but  the  firewater  had  deadened  his  mental  facul 
ties  and  induced  stupor. 

A  knock  at  the  door  roused  him  from  his  som- 
332 


PAID    IN    FULL 

nolence  and  he  looked  up  with  bleared,  blood 
shot  eyes. 

"'Sthat  you,  Death?"  he  demanded  with  mild 
benignancy.  "  All  ri'." 

The  knock  was  repeated,  louder. 

He  staggered  to  his  feet,  smiling  vaca^t'ty,  and 
his  groping  hand  lurched  towards  the  revolver. 
As  he  picked  it  up  the  glint  of  the  barrel  tip 
claimed  his  attention.  He  bent  over  it,  swaying, 
trying  to  maintain  his  equilibrium,  as  he  stared 
at  the  little  round  hole  with  stupid  interest. 

There  was  the  crash  of  a  report.  The  apart- 
Jnent  house  manager  who  had  seen  the  light  in 
the  window,  apprising  him  of  the  tenant's  pres 
ence,  and  had  knocked  to  inquire  about  the  over 
due  rent,  ran  shouting  for  help. 

When  they  forced  the  door  they  found  Brooks 
sprawling  across  the  table,  beside  the  overturned 
liquor  bottle. 

He  was  dead,  with  a  bullet  in  his  brain. 

THE  END 


333 


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